Renaissance Fantasies

I am seriously jonesing... (OK, given the context, that's pretty funny: my computer, not recognizing 'jonesing' offered to replace with 'jousting.')

At any rate, I am having Ren Fest withdrawl. Have you been? I adore Renaissance Festivals. Everything from the wardrobes to the mysticism, to the "English" accents (let's face it... they often sound Irish in truth... or sometimes even Russian--Master Card and Lady Visa is just cooky enough to make me smile every time), to the food... the jewelry (ah! the jewelry), and the shows--the bawdy comedy is probably my favorite.

I have attended Renaissance Festivals in Kansas City, Michigan, and now in my new home--New York. Each has been attended by yours truly multiply. Yes, I even dress up--usually as a gypsy, which is easy for me (what does that say?) and not crazy weird (just weird enough). My favorite faire is likely Kansas City. I think because it was my first, and I have many wonderful memories of that particular one.

They are all big, and full of adventure. You are likely to see a wedding, or two. Lots of kids dressed up on some adventure... or playing a game. Belly dancers, people eating huge turkey legs (not terribly appetizing to see, if you ask me, but it's all part of the fun), hawks and vultures, strong man contests, jousting, even, if you are so inclined (I, somehow, never have been, but...)

So, wanna come to the Renaissance Faire?

Well...

the hawk (a Red-Tailed Hawk, I later researched, who, by the way, looked like this) never came back... so far, I guess.  There is always tomorrow.  

The little one (Saturday) is growing.  Daddy leaves the nest more frequently, now.  I look out to just see Saturday (or the squab, as he is properly called) there; sometimes with dad hanging out on the balcony rail.  Finally, the days are getting a little warmer, too.  Interestingly, Mommy doesn't seem to have a problem staying on the nest all night long!

Both Mommy and Daddy make the cheesy milk that the squabs eat, until they are about a month old.  At that point, Daddy takes over with the food production, and general feeding.  

The squabs stay in the nest until they are six to eight weeks old.  (Oops, underestimated that one...)  Although they start flying at about 4 weeks.  (That should be fun!)  

While I am at it, I had mentioned the book, Extraordinary Pigeons in an earlier post.  Well, this guy, in Utah, actually breeds and sells pigeons of some of the varieties that are mentioned in the book.  So, if you think that they are exotic and not to be found, think again.  His photos are quite nice.  

Oh... My...G....!!!

Originally, I was going to write, today, a little eulogy... to the little life that was one of the pigeon chicks on the balcony. I honestly do not know what happened.

Whether he was ill, or hurt, but yesterday, I noticed that he was out of the nest...but within centimeters of it. Initially, he was active, and throughout the day, he stayed out... until the evening, when we went to check on him. (It has been a TERRIBLY cold May, and the nights are especially frigid.) By then, his breathing appeared agonal, and he would spread his weak little wings every 3-5 minutes. It was heart-breaking, especially with Mommy and his sibling just a few centimeters away. R suggested that we roll up a T-shirt to block out the wind around him for the night--'just in case.' So, I did.

First thing this morning, I checked on them. As expected--he was just a little heap of yellow and grey feathers. No breaths, no stretches. As R said, "animals act on instinct," there must have been something wrong. I added, "because of course Mommy and Daddy were strong enough to bring baby back into the nest if he had simply wandered out..."

So, as I said, I was ~originally~ going to write about that, but, um, now we have bigger fish to fry. I came home this afternoon. Took a step towards the balcony, and looked straight into the eyes of a... HAWK. I kid you not. I am not talking about a Peregrine Falcon

No siree. This was a real, in-the-flesh (and feathers) hawk. Holy crap. My stomach fell. I really felt like I was looking into the eyes of a predator. He was HUGE--just under 2 feet tall. I opened the window to scare him, but he wasn't scared. He actually stared right back at me, and, on top of it, I briefly entertained the idea of, "What if he flew into the apartment after me?!" Of course, of course, my luck was that the battery in the camera was DEAD--as a doornail, dead. Next, I looked at the nest, both babies (live and ~gulp~ not) there, with no parents in sight (yeah, I guess that makes sense...). So, I yelled at him, and wildly flapped my arms around. At that point, he finally lazily turned tail and flew away. The felines, of course, slept through the whole thing.

Now, of course, I keep looking back at the balcony--to see if HE comes back, but also because now I'm (again) freaked that the parents won't come back. And now, I wonder if he was who originally hurt the other little one, or who Daddy was fighting with a couple of days ago--remember?

Not much is going to get done today, I fear. I am on the look-out.

Right on Time

18 days I read, and 18 days it was--We have pigeon babies--chicks!!  One was born Friday, the other Saturday--both exactly 18 days from the days their respective eggs were laid.  So, R decided we should call them "Friday" and "Saturday."  I know, very imaginative, but, really, what DO you call pigeons, anyway?  

So, now they will stay in the nest for roughly a month.  Learning the pigeon ways, tricks of the trade, and all.  And then, well, off they go, I suppose.  That's when I get my balcony back.  

For now, they are TINY, and very weak.  They literally cannot hold their little heads up, and their eyes are humungous!  In puppies and kittens, the paws are huge, in pigeons--eyes!  

Mom and dad still take turns keeping them warm--these little ones cannot regulate their body temperature, yet.  They have to be kept together--the siblings, that is--or they get lonely.  They don't mind letting  you know, either.  They'll make lots of noise until their brother or sister is next to them.  Both parents make milk to feed them.  Lots of teamwork!  :)  

Everything is as it should be.  

Oh, I should also let you know that there is a great book, called Extraordinary Pigeons.   It's quite amazing, and will change the way you think of these birds. 

We're having babies!

I suppose I need to clarify...not us, per se, but our dwellers. :)

About 10 days ago, R and I went out on the balcony for the first time in, well, a LONG time (the winter has been COLD) to enjoy the first warmth of spring. I immediately noticed a bunch of twigs in the corner, behind a chair. "What the ...?" Did our neighbors sweep trash under the divider?

I looked over--it didn't make sense. As usual, there was NOTHING on our neighbors' balcony--not a table, a plant, nothing. And the twigs were in kind of a neat little pile...

Well, I guess it was another thing we'd have to clean up before the first party of the year. *sigh* The same day, I put Mandy, the mandarin tree, back out on the balcony, so she, too, could enjoy the sunshine and warmth.

Then, we were busy again, or as always... no more balcony.

On Monday, I went out to water Mandy. I was startled to see a pigeon waddle slowly, almost sleepily, out from the corner, behind the chair! I looked, and THERE, on top of the twigs, was a beautiful, perfect little EGG!! It's a nest! (Wow, living in Manhattan for 7 years does something to some of our instincts...)

I froze; I almost started crying. I tried to tell her that it was OK, that I wouldn't hurt her, but she kept moving away, still slow. I went inside quietly and quickly ran to the computer to look up everything possible on pigeons and their eggs--just in case I scared her so badly that R and I would be raising a new chick. And I called R in emergency.

Contrary to popular belief, they do not carry diseases, and they are actually not dirty. They mate for life--bet you didn't know THAT! Their incubation period is 18 days, and the little eggs have to be kept at 97-102F (like human body temp, I told R--you know, we had to be prepared...), and they usually come in pairs.

These last three facts gave me so much anxiety I could barely go through the day. You see, we have a party planned for the 17th, and I scared mommy away, and I only saw ONE, solitary egg.

Most importantly, Mommy pigeon had to come back, so I was looking out the window constantly. This was fruitless, as the nest is exactly UNDER the window, and there is a ledge, so unless she sticks her tail or head out, or adjusts, I am unlikely to see her. But, FINALLY, the next morning, I awoke R, "She came back!!"

#2, there should be siblings. So, last evening, R and I quietly went out to look. Mommy was there, and she wasn't terribly scared of us. She left the nest, but only went about 3 1/2 feet away, to the edge of the balcony, where she stayed, while we looked, from about 5 feet in the other direction, at our trophies--TWO little eggs. YAY!!

Now, the last thing, the party. We have decided to go ahead and have it. The chicks should pip (break out of their shells) by then. We will block off that area of the balcony, and we figure our friends are good people. They will probably like to see our little friends, and we have faith that they will go unharmed. That is, of course, if they are even still there! (I have a feeling they will be.)

Something else really cool: Mommy sits on the eggs to keep them warm from late afternoon through the night until mid-morning, at which point Daddy takes over and does the day shift.

I will keep you posted. I may even try to take some photos. I just don't want to scare them too much. :)