Flew the Coop

[shanmonster]

Two days ago, I watched what I am pretty sure was the first attempts at flight by the squabs. One of them, Bukkake, I guess, fluttered his way down from his nest to the floor of my patio. There, he cheeped piteously to his Mom, Miss Lemmiwinks. She ignored him completely, as she was having a nap in a flower pot. As I watched, he flapped his wings experimentally, stared up at his nest, bobbing his head in what certainly looked like a gauging of distance. And then, with an enormous flurry of wings, he flew back to his nest. Emboldened by his success, he flew back down to the patio again, where he repeated his unheeded exhortations for food, and then his flight pattern.

In the meantime, Japscat, the more reserved of the two, walked to the edge of her nest platform and stared down at the long, long distance between nest and patio. It was a whole twelve inches away. She'd squat like she was ready to jump, then run back away from the edge. The whole time, Bukkake continued his flying practice. After seeing her brother do so well, Japscat was finally ready to take the plunge, and she swooped to the concrete below.

Soon, she, too, was practicing flying back and forth from nest to patio.

Now, in case you didn't already know, the pigeons are being evicted. Some of the neighbours have complained, due to the pigeons' promiscuous shitting habits. f00 explained to the landlord that the squabs were just about ready to fly away, and that if he'd give us just a couple more days, we'd put up some pigeon deterrents.

Well, that day is today. This morning, when I peeked out the window at my flock, I augered it was time for my birds to leave. I heard the babies speaking in adult voices. It sounded something like "peep peep peep COOOO! peep peep peep." And to top it off, betwixt Japscat and Bukkake was the ghost of pigeons future. Yes, it was a pristine, white egg.

So f00dave went out, not too long ago, and divested the nest of its egg, and, in turn, also divested it of squabs. Bukkake and Japscat not only flew the coop, but flew quite a distance to do so. They seem to be able to fly almost as well as an adult, so f00 and I now consider them officially evicted.

Every time they come back, we flap a broom at them until they fly away again. We feel like great bullies, but I'm sure they can manage elsewhere. Now, we need to invest in a big, fake owl as a deterrent. And I'm going to look to see if I can find a silhouette of a kestrel to tape in the windows. Hopefully, these measures will do the trick.

I'm going to miss the little buggers!

Comments

[emjayne.livejournal.com]

A home ain't a home without a kestrel silhouette in the window. *grins*

Poor squabs

[chats-noirs.livejournal.com]

Round these parts nesting birds are protected: can't bother a nest till the babies fly off on their own & no way you can touch a nest with an egg in it. ('Course that wouldn't stop some people.) Does Canada have any wildlife protection laws like that? If so you could let the little buggers come back.

Re: Poor squabs

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Not that I'm aware of. As far as I know, pigeons are considered pests here, and exterminators are called to "remove" them.

Re: Poor squabs

[f00dave.livejournal.com]

I don't think "vermin" are protected up here. And besides, the squabs have flown away, and the egg is in the trash, so the question is rather moot. Our onion planter was not exactly a coop, anyway. And the balcony needs an *industrial strength* cleaning. They're cute, but holy Christ do they ever shit a lot....

Feed the birds (like in Mary Poppins)

[fayme.livejournal.com]

I always wanted to raise white homing pigeons for wedding releases and such. I've raised white doves (also in the pigeon family). They are definitely a messy bird, and I've never had the acreage to build a proper pigeon coop.
Down in Newport Beach CA there was an elderly man that puts on a pigeon show. He would point at a pigeon on the sidewalk... it would fly up to his finger...he would reward it with bread, it would fly away, and then he'd point at another bird. If the wrong bird flew up, he'd shoo it off. Amazing to watch.

Re: Feed the birds (like in Mary Poppins)

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Awesome! I'd love to put on pigeon shows.

babies

[slutbunwalla.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have been through the pigeon thing, and them making a planter their nest, and at first it was cool and cute and then they washed the house and i had to save the babies which was the most disgusting thing I have ever done. there were bloody pigeon fights outside my window and lots of obnoxious squawking (squabs have the most persistent screech for food out of all the baby birds I have heard), and lots and lots of shit everywhere all over the windowbox, and the front of the cafe below. You think aww baby birds but they aren't fluffly little babies, by a long shot.
I cared about them in a sort of replulsed way. When we realized that this was never going to stop, we too got a plastic owl, put lots of stuff in the planters and tried to deterr them from thinking that was their space. this was a little difficult to impart to them. like NIMWB (not in my window box)
They kinda looked at it and was like"...oh...the humans figured us out....oh well.what about over there?"
Don't worry, they'll survive.

[fourcorners.livejournal.com]

I'm going to miss the little buggers!


Me too! This story makes me so sad