New addition to the Menagerie!
7 comments
A few weeks back my Son (very kindly) brought home a baby bird which had blown out of it’s nest and was lying on the road. Completely bald and not sure of what it was, but hoping it would turn into something interesting.
Fat Chance! Yet another pigeon, as if I need another, but though I can be ruthless with nests of pigeons, once they have hatched they have to have a chance at life!
Now he/she has fully feathered and is as usual a pain, appears at the door for breakfast and tea and will come indoors if you are unwary enough to leave the door open. Also will wing from nowhere to land on your arm or head, so can be quite disconcerting if you are not concentrating.
Charlie arrives for breakfast
Is that all that’s on offer?
Think I’ve had enough of that!
One of the Boys arrives to see if Charlie has left anything interesting to eat.
Charlie only likes wheat, doesn’t like mixed corn or maize flakes and won’t eat the brown edges of the cake, only the centre lighter coloured pieces.
The cake is made for the peacocks, I make a batch of six or so at a time and freeze it. It’s made from whatever is lying about in the cupboards, out of date flour, fruit or anything! It’s amazing what has gone into these cakes in the past – milkshake mix, Complan, dried fruit and nuts of all sorts, out of date cereals and the older eggs from the chickens we can’t keep up with. Strangely they always turn out better looking than the cakes that I take hours faffing about with for us!
Charlie lives outside now but sadly he may fall prey to the sparrow-hawk as he is probably not as ‘savvy’ as the wild ones. We had a pigeon before which was tame and a blackbird called Chup, but both disappeared. Hopefully they reverted back to the wild, but it’s more likely they became prey.
Nature can be cruel, but that’s what it is – natural.
14 Aug, 2014
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Comments
that is so sweet of you, I have two collared doves that come every day, I call them Torvill and Dean
14 Aug, 2014
Love its cup with a handle - are you training it to pick it up?
14 Aug, 2014
Oliveoil - We have too many pigeons too, when we came we had hedges of about 30ft Leylandii and they were crammed with pigeons nesting everywhere! You could walk up to the gate in the evening and about 40 pigeons would take to the air as you disturbed them! The Leylandii have been cut down a bit now and don't have the wavy bits the pigeons love, but we still have other big trees for them to nest in. The hawthorn hedges at the back need cutting to thicken them up, then you get better nesting for small birds, not the pigeons. Now I just need a remedy for the wild rabbits!
Snoopdog - Living in the country you get a bit ruthless about vermin, especially rats and mice and supposedly pigeons, but I still have a few weak spots, especially for nestlings. I found two young shrews drowned in the water butt the other day and was upset, we call them 'rannies' here in Norfolk! We have four peacock boys, hence the cake making. OH used to buy cake for them! They get a few pieces each for supper and stand in a line and wait their turn for a piece (not always patiently) we also use it for calling them back off the road if they venture that far, they will come to a whistle and will do anything for a piece of cake!!
Teds - We get the little collared ones too, somehow they don't seem so annoying as the wood pigeons! No doubt they can do just as much damage to crops, perhaps it's just because they haven't been about for so long as they are still colonising the country.
Steragram - There's a thought! If I could do that perhaps I could make a show out of it and make him earn his keep!
Thank you all for your comments, I appreciate you all taking the time to read about Charlie (or could be Charlene)!
14 Aug, 2014
We've just had a downpour and Charlies dish is full of water! Had a peep out the back door - but he saw me, he's sitting on the top of the shed and he sort of wiggles his wings as well as making a noise - no doubt it's what they do to attract the attention of a feeding parent in the wild.
It's no good I shall have to go out and feed chickens so will probably get a Charlie on my head before I get him some more food sorted out!
14 Aug, 2014
Well if you can do that Honeysuckle you can join Terra and her gardening dogs - make a fortune between you!
14 Aug, 2014
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Well done on the rearing of him/her. I have enough darned pidgeons in my garden too. They are taking liberties now with nesting in my bushes. I keep sending the dog out to chase them off but he is getting tired out. lol.
14 Aug, 2014