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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2019 16:57:58 GMT
This lovely lady has been building her twig nest in our cotoneaster berry climber right outside our front lounge window! We noticed this on Thursday. In the mornings she sits there whilst hubby brings along the twigs. It is quite substantial now and today she has continued to sit on it most of the afternoon. Not too sure if she has laid the first of her two round white eggs. The trouble is that the bush itself is not very thick and the nest is close to the edge. Also two parent Magpies are around most of the day with two juvenile fledglings in tow. Not much hope but finger crossed!
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Post by WildlifePaul on Jul 1, 2019 19:16:42 GMT
Seems like you have a good view Benn, Hopefully the magpies leave alone!!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2019 19:28:32 GMT
Seems like you have a good view Benn, Hopefully the magpies leave alone!! Thanks Paul. Saw the male take over sitting duty just after my earlier post, definitely can see the white of one egg through the nest before he settled down.
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Post by YorksherLass on Jul 2, 2019 16:06:59 GMT
Good with that nest Benn! I have exactly the same climbing cotoneaster on my left hand side fence which is very tall but not too thick & our two magpies sit on top of it quite a lot most days - so hope yours don't see the nest.
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Post by WildlifePaul on Jul 8, 2019 11:39:11 GMT
Everything still ok with this nest Benn?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2019 12:56:32 GMT
Everything still ok with this nest Benn? So far so good Paul. Both parents are very good sitters, they never leave until the other arrives to take over. There are the usual two white round eggs, but it is impossible to get a picture without spooking in incoming bird. I understand incubation is 17 to 19 days so as the first egg was laid on 1st July that means another 10 days or so to hatching. I still think the magpies will appear once they hatch. Here is another picture albeit the branch is a bit in the way.
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Post by WildlifePaul on Jul 9, 2019 16:27:31 GMT
Glad to hear Benn!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2019 20:28:20 GMT
This afternoon my wife, who has become chief pigeon watcher thought our pigeon was getting rather restless. We thought it was due to the wind which had grown stronger and was blowing the cotoneaster bush and nest about. However, an hour later we spotted this below. The youngster has had two feeds from its parents gullet. The parents then changed over, much more quickly than previous but I think I saw one unhatched egg. Its been 17 days since the first egg was laid. We understand fledging takes 30 to 36 days. Fingers crossed as the next 3 weeks is when they will be most vulnerable to the Magpies. I just hope they stay quiet on the nest!
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Post by WildlifePaul on Jul 18, 2019 11:06:57 GMT
Aww that is really cute Benn, I am glad everything is going well for them.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2019 11:19:18 GMT
Aww that is really cute Benn, I am glad everything is going well for them. So far so good Paul. I am trying to throw out lots of scraps and bread around the back to keep the Magpies occupied. It seems to be working as they have latched onto the sunflower heart bits that the sparrows and finches drop as do the wood pigeons. They only change over once or twice a day but mum always does the night shift. They are very still and quiet on the nest. Shame the nest isn't just 6 inches lower as its level with the very top of our lounge window so we cannot see over the rim. But having said that of late one bird does not move until its partner is right at the nest. Hope to see some more feeding though.
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kevin
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Post by kevin on Jul 21, 2019 6:36:12 GMT
Hi Benn it’s great to hear you have a wood pigeons nest and that feeding has begun. Fingers crossed those magpies keep away from the nest. Great photos.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2019 11:54:51 GMT
Hi Benn it’s great to hear you have a wood pigeons nest and that feeding has begun. Fingers crossed those magpies keep away from the nest. Great photos. Thanks Kevin, the chicks are growing pretty fast but we find it difficult to see them as the parents constantly cover them and only swop over every 4-6 hours. Here are a couple of snaps we took yesterday evening during a feed. The young poke their heads way into the parents crop to get at (what I read about) one of the most nutritious and calorific liquid mixtures in the animal world.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2019 9:04:00 GMT
At 19:20 yesterday evening the sitting bird suddenly flew off, leaving the week old squabs on show. By opening the window and reaching over with an iPhone we managed to get our first decent picture. As you can see they have grown massively. The outside temperature when this occurred was 29.6C in the shade. The parent was gone for about an hour but returned to sit for the evening. We hope nothing has happened to one of the adults and perhaps this was weather related!
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Post by YorksherLass on Jul 24, 2019 9:52:08 GMT
That's a cracking photo Benn, so for putting it on as I've never seen what the young ones look like in the nest. So far so good with both of them & I hope something hasn't happened to the missing parent.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2019 20:17:56 GMT
Thanks Diane. Glad to report all back to normal today with both parents making an appearance and swapping over.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2019 9:38:34 GMT
Todays quick snap when the window cleaner frightened the parent off for 10 mins.
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Post by YorksherLass on Jul 25, 2019 10:04:29 GMT
Another great photo Benn so that was a bonus for you, your window cleaner doing that. If he wants to come & clean my windows here in Yorkshire, I'd be most grateful as we can't get one at all!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2019 18:21:06 GMT
Well Diane, our window cleaner seems to turn up when he feels like it! Supposed to be every 4 weeks but today was the first time that has happened in over three years! Sometimes its 10 weeks between visits! Pigeons doing ok today, parents look to be sat on one side of the nest so chicks do not overheat. We hit a record temperature of 34C in the shade this afternoon up here on the hills in Rossendale. I have lived here since 1987 and its never been that high, its still 32 C here at 19:15pm and the big thunderstorm promised at 3pm for us just turned out to be clouds for an hour! Full blue sky since! Good job I am used to plus 38C temps from my many holidays in Egypt! Though could do with the pool and air conditioning
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Post by WildlifePaul on Jul 26, 2019 11:03:55 GMT
Lovely picture Benn, I am glad everything is going well for them!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2019 10:28:49 GMT
Things still going well thanks Paul. The squabs are getting quite large now but one is significantly larger than the other. I think there was two days between eggs being laid and subsequent hatching. The picture below was taken through the closed window hence the drop in quality. I stopped opening the window once the youngsters started to move about. They notice us moving when we are close up and I am certain I would spook them off the nest if I opened the window. The picture was taken yesterday and this is the older one. They are nearly as long as the nest of twigs now. Fledging is around 32 days so we think anywhere around 16th to 18th August.
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Post by WildlifePaul on Aug 1, 2019 0:18:30 GMT
Oh they're really big now Benn, Looks like you've got a good view haha!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2019 11:16:44 GMT
Four days on and the squabs are looking more like pigeons. More feathers than down. The parents only appear now and again to feed once or twice a day. Fledging is 30 to 34 days, so as the first hatched on 17th July it seems that they will be around until 16th to 20th August.
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Post by WildlifePaul on Aug 4, 2019 11:47:30 GMT
So glad these have done well for you Benn, Lovely picture!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2019 21:47:54 GMT
Cheers Paul, one climbed onto a branch and started flapping. Thought it was going to fledge way too early. Turned out they were hungry and restless as shortly after dad came around to feed them and they settled back down.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2019 19:56:41 GMT
Much earlier than our research led us to believe, both youngsters fledged after 21 days this evening. Came home at 1pm to find the nest empty but the birds else where in the bush. One went back to the nest but around 7pm the other flew over to the house across the road (picture below) then after a feed from a parent it flew to the bottom of the street. Its sibling then fledged the nest an hour later and flew towards some trees at the bottom of our street to join its brother/sister. Fingers crossed the survive and their parents find them. We have enjoyed watching these common but fascinating birds! Sad to see them go though!
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