Saturday, in the back garden, checking for migrating birds. Holy smokes, what's this??? It took a moment for my brain to function. Not baby doves. Baby pigeons! I'd only seen such young pigeons twice before both times removed from balconies and dumped by garbage bins. At this age pigeons are helpless,- can't fly, can't feed themselves. I didn't notice the twig nest at first but realized after about an hour that most likely someone had removed them, nest and all, from a balcony and abandoned them in the garden. That's a death sentence. I know... poopy birds, pests, rats with wings,... I've heard it all, but babies deserve a life. I watched them for about five hours and when their calls for food, squeals, were ignored I ran for a proper box and carefully caught each (plus nest) and took them to the Wildlife Rescue place on 87th and Columbus. They'll be checked, fed and when they are self sufficient released. I love pigeons. I could not leave them to die. I've told the doormen that I'll help anyone who needs pigeons removed from their balcony, but that's another story. People don't notice immature pigeons because when they first leave the nest they are almost as big as the adults and look like adults. Only the beak is longer. These babies were still fuzzy, didn't have flight wings and had their very long beaks with white tip. Totally helpless babies. Beautiful.
