We occasionally get asked the question 'why do we never see baby pigeons?' Well if the last few weeks are anything to go by, most people have now got the answer, you have to wait until September before they are out and about, or thats what it feels like as we have been inundated with queries about baby doves and pigeons (illustration of a juvenile woodpigeon below).
Many people have been tempted to take them in or to try to feed them but this is really not a good idea, the best thing to do is to leave them alone and let their parents sort them out. Young pigeons or squabs as they are known, are generally left alone for considerable amounts of time as the parents go off in search of a crop full of food. They will return every now and then to feed their young so our advice is not to worry, the pigeons have it sorted! One additional thing that needs a mention is that many pigeons and doves will be nesting at the moment, so any planned tree or hedge work, especially evergreens like Lleylandii should be checked thoroughly before cutting and delayed if nests are discovered. It may seem late in the year for nesting but doves and pigeons have got their timing bang on, the autumn is a time of natural abundance with lots of seed, fruit and berries available providing ideal conditions to raise hungry young.
Migration is going on all around the UK with large numbers of hirundines heading south, despite many others still feeding late broods. Don't worry, these still have plenty of time to catch up and if we get a mild few weeks they should be plenty of autumnal flying insects for them to feed on. Keep an eye for the large gatherings on overhead wires and even on your house as was featured in the news recently, have a look at the article here. As well as our summer visitors departing, wintering birds are turning up around the UK with pink-footed geese among the returning species.
The stormy start to September had a very worrying impact on some of our seabirds with many species such as manx shearwater (image below), gannets and guillemots being reported 'wrecked' on beaches. This seasonal phenomenon usually coincides with periods of rough seas and often involves young seabirds that are simply not able to cope with the challenging conditions. Of the reports many have been from far inland with records from the West midlands and a tragic case of a gannet on the north Yorkshire moors which unfortunately did not survive. If you come across a stranded seabird inland, contact the RSPCA for assistance.
Images available from RSPB Images
Warden Intern at Otmoor.
I'd feel truly blessed if all those birds came to bid me goodbye, what a sight.