Our Willy has disappeared!

I am totally devastated - our Willy is missing. He has not returned since yesterday lunchtime.

Yesterday early morning he came in as usual after he had spent the night on the balcony again, took his breakfast, walked a bit with Pina in the livingroom and then flew up on the board in the bookshelf where he often sits as well as Pina, perched there till 10.30 and then flew out. Pina was sitting on the eggs again. I assumed that he would just take a round and then come back again to switch with Pina but he did not. It became evening and he still wasn't back.

I spend a terrible night and was hoping to see him this morning again but no Willy so far. It is nearly lunchtime now and I hardly can write this...

First I was convinced that something terrible must have happened to him but in the meanwhile I rather think that he was simply fed up. He longed for Pina or Winnie to accompany him outside but as they are both not releasable yet I could not do this. As the regular breeding cycle is over since last Saturday I assume that he knew quite well that he would not have any babies so he probably decided to leave.

Willy is a very intelligent bird and very clever. He loves to be father - remember the story with Pina and Peppi. I am sure that he did not have a new PMV attack although this thought went through my head also as so many other terrible things I cannot even describe. But as I said, he is a very strong bird, very fast and an excellent flyer. So I really don't think that he was caught by a raptor nor did he have an accident.

Still I am terribly sad, I am crying since yesterday and feel as if someone has cut something out of my heart. Willy is such a special bird to me as you all know - therefore this is simply unbelievable. I honestly would not have thought that he would leave Pina but on the other hand I have read that this sometimes happens, that a cock leaves the hen when the eggs do not hatch.

I am also terribly sad for Pina and Winnie because they both lose their mate for the second time now. I don't know what consequences this will have on Pina's and Winnie's recovery. When I stood at the balustrade this morning and feeling so desperate it was so sweet that Paulchen and even Mr. Bossy came totally near to my face. Mr.Bossy even picked at my sleeve as if he wanted ot say "hey don't be so sad - we are here!" But at the moment even this does not help. It's a déja vu. Remember last October when Peppi disappeared?

The terrible feeling not knowing what really happened is nearly unbearable. These birds are like kids for me as I have none. The relationship with Willy was a very special one right from the beginning when he crawled out of the egg. He was our first baby. And then all those months between hope and fear when he was so sick is nothing you just pack away. Since 5 weeks he was free again, healthy and strong. And now he is gone. If he only is well...

I am sorry to hear this, Petra.

I do know of folks who's pigeons have taken off for days, even months only to have returned unharmed.
I also know saying that isn't going to erase the worry and heartache you are experiencing right now.
But I hope it helps to comfort you some.

I have you and WIllie in my special thoughts and am also sending you the most positive thoughts I can muster.

Please keep us posted.

Petra...my heart is breaking with you. I so well remember when Peppi disappeared and for days I hoped I would read a post, form you, that he had returned.
I know how special he is to you. We all can feel that by the loving way you cared for him during his illness and recovery.
I'll keep hoping and praying he returns.

We pray for his safe return.

Petra i'm feeling so terrible for you reading this :( But I somehow feel Willy is safe and nothing would have happened to him...i can somehow sense it. As Cindy said, it could be possible that he has just taken a break and gone to explore the world outside and will return soon.
Please don't lose hope...i know how you are feeling and nothing can console you, but please believe that he is safe and will return back to you.
I will have him in my prayers and will hope that he returns back very soon. Please keep us posted.

Petra..........I can only imagine how you are feeling. I am praying for Willy's safe return.


Louise

Fancyfeathers wrote:

I am sorry to hear this, Petra.

I do know of folks who's pigeons have taken off for days, even months only to have returned unharmed.
I also know saying that isn't going to erase the worry and heartache you are experiencing right now.
But I hope it helps to comfort you some.

I have you and WIllie in my special thoughts and am also sending you the most positive thoughts I can muster.

Please keep us posted.

"Stay safe sweet Willie and get your little tail feathers home to your Mom"

Cindy - thank you so much for your comforting words. It sure helps and my mind is a bit calmer today. Still I hardly can think of anything else...
Additionally Pina is crying the whole day, calling for him. It sets my teeth on edge...

Matilda wrote:

Petra...my heart is breaking with you. I so well remember when Peppi disappeared and for days I hoped I would read a post, form you, that he had returned.
I know how special he is to you. We all can feel that by the loving way you cared for him during his illness and recovery.
I'll keep hoping and praying he returns.

Charis, thank you too so much for your comforting words. If it only would not hurt so much. I am clinging to the hope that he is well...

priya wrote:

Petra i'm feeling so terrible for you reading this :( But I somehow feel Willy is safe and nothing would have happened to him...i can somehow sense it. As Cindy said, it could be possible that he has just taken a break and gone to explore the world outside and will return soon.
Please don't lose hope...i know how you are feeling and nothing can console you, but please believe that he is safe and will return back to you.
I will have him in my prayers and will hope that he returns back very soon. Please keep us posted.

Priya - thank you also do much for your comforting words. I am sorry that I missed your birthday party and wish you well for all times and only happiness in your life!

Tech wrote:

We pray for his safe return.

Thank you so much too - all prayers are needed now as the weather is awful and it has become very cold again. Not a May at all.

Jackie\'s Mom wrote:

Petra..........I can only imagine how you are feeling. I am praying for Willy's safe return.


Louise

Louise, thank you so much for your prayers. Willy can really need that now. I try to cope with this... in the end I have still 2 sick pigeons here who need my love.

Petra, I am sorry you haven't seen Willie. I can totally understand how you must feel.

The only small consolation which doesn't help much I know, is that if you hadn't taken such good care of him which in it's turn got him to the position he was even capable of flying freely, it could be even harder to bear.
He is strong thanks to you and I'm sure he'll remember full well where to come if he finds he needs a good meal and a safe place to roost again.

I do hope he turns up though so you can rest easy.

Take care,

Janet

pigeonwriter wrote:

Fancyfeathers wrote:

I am sorry to hear this, Petra.

I do know of folks who's pigeons have taken off for days, even months only to have returned unharmed.
I also know saying that isn't going to erase the worry and heartache you are experiencing right now.
But I hope it helps to comfort you some.

I have you and WIllie in my special thoughts and am also sending you the most positive thoughts I can muster.

Please keep us posted.

"Stay safe sweet Willie and get your little tail feathers home to your Mom"

Cindy - thank you so much for your comforting words. It sure helps and my mind is a bit calmer today. Still I hardly can think of anything else...
Additionally Pina is crying the whole day, calling for him. It sets my teeth on edge...

You are so very welcome, Petra.
We will all be thinking postitive thoughts for Willie's safe return.

It is the 3rd day now and still no Willy. I am so worried especially as the weather is totally awful - rain and cold nearly all the time. The temperatures are hardly above 10°C and I am wearing pullover all the time. As if the winter had not been hard enough and long enough. We have no sun and the days are dark. This really does not help to feel better.

I try to play with Pina as often as I can so that she is a bit distracted but she is crying and calling for Willy very often. It is heartbreaking.

Additionally our sweet Angelo (Willy's son) did not turn up since a week now. He is probably busy with babies but still I would have expected him to come at least once a day to get some seeds. We have seen him since Willy introduced him to us one year ago EVERY DAY, not missing one. He had very few time the last times when he appeared to take his breakfast, ate hastily and off he was again. Normally he sat for a while on my arm so that I could talk to him and then flew away again. Now he does not appear either. What is happening here? I feel awfully unhappy...

I know what a gut wrenching feeling that is, Petra. I am so sorry you are having to go through this.

My positive thoughts continue.

Petra, I am so sorry tht Willy has not yet returned. I can imagine your worry and concern for his safety.

Bad weather or not, this is prime season for nesting/breeding for these birds. I have noticed some of my steady visitors of my feral flock missing for days at a time as well. Could it be possible that Willy has found another mate outside and is busy building a nest? With Angelo you already suspect he is raising babies.

Sending you positive thoughts and prayers for Willy's safe return.


Louise

Petra...did they both go missing at the same time?

No Charis, Angelo is missing a couple of days longer than Willy.

Louise, I had the same suspicion. As Willy has realized that again there would not be any babies hatching from Pina's eggs and as Winnie, his former mate, is still too sick to lay eggs and be his mate again, he might have decided at the end of his duty to try somewhere else. I know he loves to be a father - I have realized that when he raised Pina and Peppi. He was just incredible - so loving and caring. Remember when I had to take them in after that scalping attack from a foreign pigeon and had them in the "rocking cradle" hanging in the window inside my livingroom, how Willy always came in to feed them and saying them good night?
Here you can see the video once more:



Still I would not have thought that he would ever leave Pina or Winnie. But apparently his longing for raising babies might be stronger. I really don't know.
On the other side I could not let Pina become babies here in my livingroom. That would not have been good, neither for Pina nor for the babies. I simply don't have the right location for them.

It is only very bad luck because Pina is also on the way to complete recovery. Willy should have been a bit more patient then I could have released them together - what I had hoped for.
Yes - believe it or not - but she has improved dramatically and can fly and eat as normal. I am just waiting for the weather to improve so that I can check on the balcony whether she is showing symptoms again. But I need much warmer weather for that.

Since 2 weeks now Pina has no symptoms inside any more! The last time yet - when I put the box on the balcony in order to give her sunshine - she started a bit stargazing again because she was so excited. But that was last week. Since then the weather has become so ugly that I could not take her out. Of course I need to test her a couple of times before I could let her go. But she clearly demonstrates that she wants to go! Together with Willy this would have been clearly much better. I just have to wait and see...

In the meanwhile I play with her as often as possible to distract her from her new loss. The poor little girl - I am so sad how this all developed...

Such a sweet video...reminds me of this...

I just think it so odd that both male birds would disappear aroung the same time. I'm still hoping they both come back soon. I think about them all the time.

Think about Willy all the time...sorry to hear that Angelo is also missing It could be, like what Louise had to say, that they might have taken off in search of potential mates. My heart goes out to you and Pina :( Prayers and positive thoughts continue, i somehow feel both of them are safe and will eventually return back {{hugs}}

Petra, I'm so sorry you've been going through all this worry with Willy!
I think your intuition is totally right about him, and that he's probably courting another hen, but I can't help feeling sorry for your two girls, especially as Pina is getting so close to full recovery.
Please try not to worry about Willy and Angelo (it's easier to say than to do, unfortunately) and trust your intuitive feelings. I hope and pray that all will be well.


P.S. Sorry I'm so late replying, but my computer has been at the shop for repairs.

I apologize again that I have not been around much these days. First thank you all so much for your comforting words. There is no change regarding Willy and Angelo unfortunately and only the idea that they are both doing well and being busy with mating and raising kids is a comfort for their loss. But there is no day where I do not miss them both terribly.

Regarding our two lonesome girls Winnie and Pina:

Winnie had quite some relapses in the last 3 weeks, where I had to close her off in the box, giving her additional warmth and cover her up with a blanket to give her as much peace as possible. She is still stargazing a lot but does not have those seizures any more. So the final result after progressing 2 steps forward and one step backwards is that she is improving tiny steps in the right direction. I think she is really mourning the second loss of her Willy and feeling depressed .

As often as I can I take her up - she loves to sit on my hand and being carried around - especially when she can look out of the window. Sometimes she runs through the appartment like a little marathon racer - it is very funny - but this way she continues to train her leg muscles. She still can neither fly very good nor eat by herself but during the last days she seems to be interested in pecking at seeds and grit. So this is a good sign and I am not worried at all. It took nearly 6 months until Pina could eat again by herself. Winnie is only 3 months in now.

I gave her a nest in the meanwhile because she often sits in a dark corner of the room as if she were missing her own nest. Sometimes she sits in it for some time. It is placed beneath a chair which I don't use and so she has her peace there.

This morning nearly an awful accident happened: I packed both girls into their boxes and put them on the balcony because it was finally warmer and we had some sunbeams between the clouds. My hubby was doing his training on the stepper and he suddenly said - look, Winnie is outside the box. And there she was: sitting ON TOP OF THE BOX instead of inside. I had mounted a grill from the stove on top of the box instead of the regular plastic cover in order to give her as much sunshine as possible but somehow she had wiggled herself through the gaps and managed to climb outside. I could hardly breathe, moved very slowly towards her and could finally grab her. Thank heaven she did not try to escape - probably she was as surprised as I was. I did not dare to think about what could have happened. Lesson learned!

Pina is my little sunshine girl. She can fly like a little goddess again - you can see the talent of her father Willy - she can eat by herself although I continue to feed her in the morning with baby cereal and applesauce and in the evening with a few peas so that she gets at least some greens but she hasn't passed her stress tests yet.

In the appartment she is free most of the time and can fly around as she likes, I play with her the "wild poudle game" as often as possible - which is really very cute and she makes noises like a sqeeking poudle - and she shows no symptoms at all any more. But as soon as I pack her into her box and put her outside on the balcony - down the head goes. As soon as she is in again the stargazing stops as if nothing has happened. This means for me she is not ready to fly free yet. But I am sure that she will stop this eventually too and be able to go. The weather was against us since the first of May - since more than 3 weeks now we had awfully cold weather and rain, rain, rain. This really does not help a sick pijjie to recover and so I could not train her. But now the weather seems to become a bit better and I can hopefully put her more often on the balcony so that she gets used to it. The big advantage is that Pete and Emma are around all day and other pijjies as well. So there is some interaction between them and Pina.

Since a couple of days Jimie and Alice are coming separately again. So I am sure they have a nest together somewhere and are breeding. And you will not believe what I tell you now:

Jimi revealed to be a comforter of "widows". This means he suddenly showed big interest in Pina and courted her intensively. And as Pina always was adoring him for his statue and appearance - he is a very tall pijjie - she was simply falling in love with him immediately. And apparently forgot Willy.

Jimi started to mate with Pina - not once but repeatedly. Sometimes up to 10 times during the hour he was in. Then suddenly he started to court Winnie as well and also mated with her. I could not believe my eyes. Can you imagine that picture:

Jimi "walking" through the balcony door, impatiently expected and furiously greeted by the 2 ladies. Jimi cooing and then mating with one after the other. And now we have a competition between the 2 ladies, Pina becoming jealous when Jimi is busy with Winnie and vice versa. This sometimes ends in Winnie chasing Pina through the appartment and sometimes the other way round and Jimi in between looking like a dummy. Oh my - this is pure family drama. And sometimes he even finds the time to eat a few seeds. The love ecstasy goes that far that they even run over my feet when I am standing in their way and sometimes nearly mate on my feet. I think they have no respect for their mommy!

After some time - when it starts getting dark - I have to chase Jimi out of the appartment and send him home. I don't want him to potentially leave Alice. That would be really unfair. Who would ever have thought that my sweet quiet Jimi would turn into a sex monster with 3 wives now?

Oh my... Jimi has turned out to be quite a Casanova!

Thanks for the update, Petra...I've been wondering all week.