Wood pigeons nesting (1 Viewer)

Helen, due to the incomplete/irregular, variations of the woodpigeons moult, the juv can develope its white neck patch any time from (Aug-Dec) Hope this helps some.
bert.

Hi Helenol

We have a Wood Pidgeon nesting in a tree 20ft from the back garden door. She has been on the nest now for about two weeks. What is the incubation period?. - just been out to have another look - no sign yet.
Would post a photo if I knew how, another question - does she go without food for all this time? - the cock is about, but I have not seen him bring her any food.

brian sheppard said:

Hi Helenol

We have a Wood Pidgeon nesting in a tree 20ft from the back garden door. She has been on the nest now for about two weeks. What is the incubation period?. - just been out to have another look - no sign yet.
Would post a photo if I knew how, another question - does she go without food for all this time? - the cock is about, but I have not seen him bring her any food.

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Hi Brian,

The incubation period for woodpigeons is usually 17/18 days after the second egg is laid. Both parents take turns at sitting, which gives the off-duty parent the chance to feed, so neither has to go without food. When the eggs hatch, both parents initially feed the youngsters (squabs) with a rich, creamy substance called 'pigeon milk' which is derived from the lining of the crop sloughing off. This usually lasts for the first 5 - 7 days or so, after which the parents regurgitate grain and seeds from their crops directly into the squabs in a pumping action. Hope this helps.

Anthony

brian sheppard said:

Hi Helenol

We have a Wood Pidgeon nesting in a tree 20ft from the back garden door. She has been on the nest now for about two weeks. What is the incubation period?. - just been out to have another look - no sign yet.
Would post a photo if I knew how, another question - does she go without food for all this time? - the cock is about, but I have not seen him bring her any food.

Click to expand...

We too had Wood Pidgeons nesting in a tree 20 feet from our back door. There were two chicks but if hadn't been able to see them through, and eventually overlapping, their flimsy nest we wouldn't have known that they were there - they were very quiet. The parents moved in to feed them very quietly too.

With the nest less than two feet from the top of the tree and with leaves now dropping I wondered if the colder, wetter weather would be a problem.
And I hoped that our elderly but still very alert springer spaniel Sandringham estate gun dog strain) wouldn't get at them if they crashed into the garden.

Well, yesterday, October 20th, the nest was empty. Later I saw a parent and one of the fledglings on our tiny veggie patch. The youngster was as big as and slightly plumper than the adult. It had no white neck patches and no colour on its bill. I stood six feet away from them and both eventually flew off.

I know that wood pidgeons are a pest (I saw over 400 grazing on a nearby field of emerging winter barley last year) but I do admire them.

Geoff

Jos Stratford said:

Wood Pigeons, along with all other birds with any brains to speak of, are flocking up and migrating south. The big exodus is on - certainly not going to get late nesting up here ...result would be 'ready-frozen pigeonlets'!!!

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certainly magic to watch squadrons on the move at this time of year; 1,650 S/SW was one local day count (Regent's Park, London), 2000+ counts not uncommon

probably a delayed posting but i have a pair of wood pidgeons nesting on a tree outside my house on a very busy road. They have been alternating the nest for at least 4 weeks now. One pidgeon is there through wind & rain & heatwaves! I do hope some thing comes of this determination to produce a fledging although my hopes are falling of anything surviving after all this time!

Yes there will be lots. BUT do you know if wood ppigeons mate for life or not?

helenol said:

I have just noticed a wood pigeon building a nest in a bush approx. 6-7 feet from the house. It's sitting in the nest rearranging lots of twigs etc, clearly visible from the house. The nest is probably about 12 feet off the ground.

On the other side of the house, there is another woodpigeon flying into a thicker bush with twigs etc, - been doing this for the last couple of days - obviously building a nest there! This nest is not visible, as it is deep in the middle of the bush.

Question is, how many times do these birds breed during the year?

Can I expect lots of juvenile woodpigeons around my house in the next few weeks? :eek!:

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Yes there will be lots. Do you know if wood pigeons mater for life ot not?