Okay, let me tell you about this whole pigeon clutch thing I dealt with recently.
It all started a few weeks back. I noticed a couple of pigeons hanging around my back porch a lot more than usual. You know pigeons, those plump birds, always bobbing their heads when they walk. Didn’t think much of it at first, they’re everywhere in town.
Then, one afternoon, I went to grab an old tarp I had stored in a corner, tucked behind some unused plant pots. Lifted it up, and bam! There it was. A makeshift nest, pretty rough looking, mostly twigs and bits of dried grass, and right in the middle, two small, white eggs. A pigeon clutch.
What I Did Next
First thing, I just stood there for a minute. What do you even do? My initial thought was to just clear it out, porch is for people, not bird nurseries. But then I saw one of the parent pigeons land nearby, looking all anxious. It didn’t fly away, just watched me. Seemed kind of gentle, really.
So, I decided, alright, let’s see this through. I carefully put the tarp back, leaving a bit more space around the nest area. Didn’t want to disturb them more than I already had. My main goal became just keeping an eye on things from a distance.
Here’s the routine I sort of fell into:
- Checked on them once in the morning, once in the evening. Just a quick peek to make sure the eggs were still there and hopefully see a parent sitting on them.
- Made sure my cat couldn’t get onto that part of the porch. That involved some strategic furniture rearrangement.
- Tried not to make too much noise or sudden movements near that corner.
The parent pigeons took turns sitting on the eggs. It was pretty cool watching them switch over. One would fly in quietly, the other would shuffle off the nest, and then fly away, probably to get food or water. They are strong fliers, you can tell by how quickly they zip off.
The Waiting Game and Outcome
Waiting was the main part. It took about two and a half weeks, maybe a bit more. One morning, I peeked, and instead of just eggs, I saw tiny, really ugly little baby pigeons. Squabs, I think they call them? Looked nothing like the adult birds, mostly just beak and some yellow fuzz.
The parents got super busy then. Constantly flying back and forth with food. It got a bit messy around the nest area, but I decided to just leave it alone. Didn’t want to stress them out by cleaning too close.
Over the next few weeks, those little guys grew fast. Got feathers, started looking more like actual pigeons. They started moving around the nest area a bit more too.
Then, about a month after hatching, maybe five weeks total, I went out one morning and the nest was empty. Saw the two young pigeons awkwardly flapping on the roof nearby, with the parents close. They did it. They actually raised their clutch right there on my porch.
Honestly, it was kind of rewarding. Didn’t really do much besides not bothering them and keeping the cat away, but it felt good seeing them successfully fledge. Cleaned up the corner afterwards, which wasn’t the most fun job, but hey. That was my little pigeon clutch adventure. Just another weird thing life throws at you, right?
