Baby pigeons

hi 

we have a pigeon nest in our garden. The chicks look to be around 10 days old I think. Mum left them this morning and hasn’t returned ... should I be worried? How long can then be left at this point?

thanks

nancy :) 

  • What species of pigeon Nancy & where are you?

     

     2013 photos & vids here

    eff37 on Flickr

  • Ah apologies - I should have been more specific - I’m in surrey, uk and it’s just a common pigeon (not a collared dove etc)
    :)
  • https://helpwildlife.co.uk/rescues/0336/

    Are you near here Nancyif you need help & advice if parent bird not back yet?

     

     2013 photos & vids here

    eff37 on Flickr

  • That’s near enough - I’m also not far from wildlife aid.
    Parent did come back but I’ll keep a close eye over the next few days and call them if not
    Just wasn’t sure how long to wait until I intervene?
  • So pleased to hear parent is back & that you are looking out for them!
    A regular on here called Monkeycheese has a great deal to do with feral pigeon rescue in London & links with Pigeon Rescue, they are a great bunch ... MC even has an aviary in his garden now to help cope with releases & long term stayers ... I have alerted him to your concerns by email & am sure he will give you good advice, he may well be at work just now!

     

     2013 photos & vids here

    eff37 on Flickr

  • Hi Nancy, Where is the nest located? If it's in a tree it's most likely a Wood Pidge or Collared Dove. Ferals don't typically nest in trees, but they are prone to doing the unexpected. The male will incubate or stay with young during the day and the female at night. The partner is rarely far away. As the young get older and feeds are less frequent, the adults leave their offspring alone for longer periods of time. Personally I would advise against taking them to Wildlife Aid. How far are you from Sutton? Pigeon Recovery are based there and will always take in Pidges, no matter how young. You can PM me if you have any questions. As Wendy says, I do have a release aviary in the garden and I also rescue injured or vulnerable Pidges.

    Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos

    (One bush does not shelter two Robins)

    Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)

     

  • Thank you!
    Probably a wood pigeon then - in foliage on top of the fence (overgrown ivy etc)
    Ok will do - I’ll keep a close eye.
    I’m in molesey so not too far from sutton if needs be :)
    They’re back now so hopefully they’ll continue to hang around :)
  • Hi

    I’m a little concerned also about the baby pigeon in our honeysuckle on the wall at the back of our house it’s around two weeks old roughly the parents have been great as they should be but I haven’t seen either parent since around 8 pm last night, should I be worried or is this normal for the little ones to be left longer as they get older? any advice greatly appreciated many thanks

    Sue :)
  • Hi Sue, Wood Pigeons stay together as family groups, so I'd be surprised if at least one adult isn't nearby. Keep an eye on it and look out for cats. Young Woodies are susceptible to cat attacks and it would need immediate medication if that happened. Maybe put some seed or peanuts near the base of the bush?

    Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos

    (One bush does not shelter two Robins)

    Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)

     

  • Hi monkeycheese

    The nest is fairly high up on the back wall of our house so at the moment I think it’s safe from any cats hopefully, I have two dogs and they have been so good when the parents have been seeing to their baby and they normally hate birds in the garden. I saw that one of the parents was feeding the baby around 5pm yesterday so I wasn’t sure how long it should be before the next feed and if I have to intervene with liquid food in a syringe? many thanks :-)