31 July 2006
The squabs now look for alternate places and stay away from the nest when they can. I found this one hiding under the hose that connects the compressor with the air flow unit.
3 Aug 2006
Finally. They have started looking a bit presentable and less gross. Elvira on the right and Carlos on the left. Being elder by only two days, she is bigger than Carlos. The white patch in their feathers means absence of pigmentation and nothing else. It is not a design or pattern significance.
4 Aug 2006
Nothing much to write here. They go about their business, lay there and chill as if they are on the beach, scream like a banshee when the parent comes in with food and then merrily poop all over the place. I am losing interest in taking pictures because of their living standards and horrible conditions in the balcony, but still go ahead and click a couple because i want to get over with this story.
5 Aug 2006
Looking at their funky hairstyles, dyed hair color and jazzy colors on their body, you can pretty much tell that they are in their adolescence stages. They havent started gelling or spiking their hair, but i guess that will come soon. You think they'd go gothic?
Here is an interesting tidbit. Pigeon population and breeding depends on how much food and shelter is available. More food means more pigeons. They rely on garbage, insects, food thrown by passersby and visitors. If you want to reduce the pigeon population, DONT eradicate them. Instead, reduce the food available to them and they would automatically control their population and breeding. Decreasing pigeon population by eliminating them would mean the increase in the quantity of food available. This would in turn promote more breeding and the vicious cycle would never end.
6 Aug 2006
The squabs are rapidly gaining body mass, growing out feathers, developing iridiscence and losing the yellow baby fuzz. They dont venture out too far from the nest, but going by the traces of where i find their poop, i can tell that each day, they venture out a little more than the previous day. They love playing "Little Explorers".
Compare their progess now to the begininning of this week. It is amazing that they can grow so rapidly and look like two totally different birds. I wish humans could grow up this fast. The average growth cycle of a pigeon from the time they hatch out to the time they start flying out and look like adult pigeons is approximately 6-7 weeks. Pigeons can attain sexual maturity when they are 8 months old. They dont have the concept of family planning and breed like crazy depending on availability of food and shelter as i explained a little while ago.
Watch this space for updates
Week 6 Coming soon....
