(Doesn't this baby pigeon look like a little dinosaur?)
(Picture of 2 healthy baby pigeons, just 9 days old!)
Pigeons may be everywhere, but I don't think many have the privilege of seeing their babies, since parents jealously guard their young until they're old enough to fly away (fledgelings) when they are one month old.
One day, I walked out on my balcony to see this happy sight: discarded egg shells on the floor, and mama sitting on her healthy newborn pigeons to keep them warm.
So, it was a real treat after bribing the mama pigeon on my balcony with snacks, and crouching still for nearly an hour till my legs were sore/ numb, that I was finally granted an opportunity to witness my first feeding.
It's fascinating watching the pigeon parents on my balcony raising their young. For example, the way mama & papa pigeon will eat, have water and then transform that into a protein rich milk for the kiddies; or how the kiddies each day will develop a new trick: say moving to the back of the nest to poop, at week one; or rearing on hind legs around intruders, week two, or coordinated wing flapping...
Truly amazing to watch them being & becoming. It must be madness for (human) parents to see their children grow so fast.
The architecture of wings, alone is a minor miracle. Instructive, too, to see parents love changing shape, as youngsters grown up -- no longer smothering, but watching from a safe distance, as their babies begin to belong less to them and more to life...
When young pigeons are nearly 2 weeks old, mama will be gone for longer & longer stretches. And, even when she's there, she's finally okay with my carrying her babies
Finally, around the 4 week mark, daddy's duty is to teach them to fly & return to the sky. But, first, how to peck/eat & drink by themselves.
It happened at a good time that these feathered friends entered my life, when I first found a couple of small eggs in a flowerpot in my balcony.
My wife was travelling for long periods and these gentle creatures kept me terrific company and became a kind of family :)
Eventually, when they learned to fly, both young pigeons began to spend the night out (at first, they returned around sunset and slept in).
So, I'm especially grateful when they do stop by (even though visits getting shorter and shorter) & I, now, feel less guilty taking out-of-town trips...
Wishing you companionship that warms your heart and love, in all forms 🙏