Hello from Bangkok!

New photos!

Henry's daughter comes around regularly now, so we've named her Susie. There was supposed to a Susie last year, the sibling of poor little Bob, but that egg turned out to be unfertilized, so we decided it would be okay to name this one Susie. (Besides, that was a different parent set anyway.)

Susie eats on her own now, pecking around. Does not rely on Dad for feedings anymore; no further feedings have been seen beyond the two the wife witnessed. But this afternoon, when Dad and Susie were eating together right outside our balcony door, Susie kept doing the "squab squeal." She was not bugging Dad to be fed, she was eating fine on her own, but the entire time she was eating, we could hear her going: "Squeal, squeal, squeal." Just like a squab! Could that have been out of contentment, like a cat's purr?

She has lost all of her baby fuzz but is still very young. And she seems to have decided she likes it here. Unfortunately, the Pretty One comes by and bullies her if Dad's not around. And Henry is very attentive to his daughter. Even likes to help groom her.

Now the photos, all from today (Sunday, May 16):

Henry and Susie together on the window frames. That's the proud father on the left. And two more here and here, still with Henry on the left and Susie on the right.

Father and daughter share a meal. Then Susie checks out Dad.

Susie gives me the eye. Then she found a perch on the little spirit house.

I'm still worried about Maggie. She seems to have disappeared. Hopefully, she's just busy tending fresh eggs somewhere. But I suppose Henry could be grooming Susie for a new mate. :eek:

The rioting situation is growing worse. There could be a military crackdown soon. We're still okay, though.

Susie is adorable. I'll bet Maggie is on another nest and you will see her soon.

Please take care of yourself. When I heard the news this morning about the unrest, I immediately thought about you and your wife.

Siam Sam wrote:

New photos!

Love the photos, Sam. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Susie is a beauty!!

Thanks for the kind thoughts, all.

The wife is still seeing Henry feed Susie, so she's at the intermediate stage where she can eat on her own or get a feeding from Dad. I wonder where her sibling is, assuming she has one.

I am fearing the worst for poor Maggie. Seems like she should be coming around for food during her off-nest time if she is sitting on more eggs.

Bangkok exploded into chaos on Wednesday. Friday morning now, and the situation is gradually settling down. There's a nightly curfew from 9pm-5am at the moment, and authorities are busy mopping up the rioters. We're doing fine. There was a little action in our area -- two banks and a police box torched -- but we're okay.

Susie took a little bath yesterday morning (Thursday morning). Could not take a photo, because we could see it only through the crack in the closed curtains, and moving them would have disturbed her.

Henry actually pecked at her in the afternoon while they were eating, so maybe he feels it's time for her to strike out on her own. The wife poured a separate little pile for her, and he was okay with her eating that.

Odd, but there's another pigeon that has showed up who acts like Maggie but does not really look like Maggie. Looks like her a little but not exactly. Head and neck area are lighter, for example, and feathers not as kerfuffled as Maggie's usually are. Seems to know us and keeps begging hard for food. And Henry is okay with her being here, although they haven't gotten frisky. Surely Maggie could not have changed appearance?

I'm glad you and your wife are alright. I have a friend that's been livng in Bankok for nearly a decade and he left yesterday to return to the states, at least for a while.

Try to get a picture of the new birds that resembles Maggie and we'll compare the pictures.

We truly appreciate your updates, Sam. Knowing you and your wife are OK is a great relief.
Chuck and I were watching the news this evening and saw some of the footage from your area. So sad. Stay safe, my friend.

Glad to hear all the pijjies are doing well. When the timing is right, we'd love to see some pictures of the 'guys'.

Thanks again. The situation has largely returned to normal for now, although there's still a night-time curfew from midnight-4am through at least Saturday morning.

Several new gray pidgees have started stopping by, but we think we've determined Maggie is definitely one of them. She doesn't seem as kerfuffled as before but does seem to know us. And Henry is okay with her, the few times that he's here now at the same time. However, it's just that he doesn't chase her away while they're eating; there are no amorous activities at the moment. But we're pretty sure it's her.

Susie is proving pretty feisty. She'll fight the other pidgees, even the bigger ones. Even has nipped at Henry and Maggie, her presumed mother.

We're trying not to feed the other pidgees, not wanting to attract attention, but it's tough keeping it among a certain select few.

Appreciate the update, Sam.
I'm glad to hear things have settled down a bit.

I hear ya about not wanting to attact attention.
We will be keeping you, your wife and pijjies in our thoughts.

I'm glad that the situation has calmed down, in spite of the curfew, and that you and your wife are okay.

Susie is a very pretty youngster, and I look forward to seeing more pictures of her. Are you sure now whether that was Maggie that came back? I hope so!

Sam, i hope that you and your wife continue to stay safe
i have not heard much of the situation recently on UK news

as for your pigeon family, i do love to hear what they are up to
& how their behaviour is alike or differs from my ones

i don't leave food out now, there were increasing numbers of beady eyes peering from the rooftops
the resident pair will fly to me when i call and i put out just enough food for a snack they can eat whilst i watch them

Isn't it a shame that we need to worry about the neighbors? I do as well.

Yesterday, I was in the office and the manager said he needed to have a private talk with me.
Apparently, a pigeon showed up in his yard a week ago and he lives in an area where there just aren't any pigeons. The pigeon drinks from his little pond and roosts at night in his tree. Long story short, his family has fallen in liove with the pigeon and he was a little embarrased about it. I gave him some basic information, about pigeons, and told him where he could buy some dove mix in a small amount. ...I sense the possibility of another crazy pigeon person....once a pigeon weasels in to one's heart...

Matilda wrote:

Isn't it a shame that we need to worry about the neighbors? I do as well.

Yesterday, I was in the office and the manager said he needed to have a private talk with me.
Apparently, a pigeon showed up in his yard a week ago and he lives in an area where there just aren't any pigeons. The pigeon drinks from his little pond and roosts at night in his tree. Long story short, his family has fallen in liove with the pigeon and he was a little embarrased about it. I gave him some basic information, about pigeons, and told him where he could buy some dove mix in a small amount. ...I sense the possibility of another crazy pigeon person....once a pigeon weasels in to one's heart...

Wonderful!

It is definitely Maggie, and she and Henry have begun getting frisky again. Much kissing, but we've not seen the actual deed again yet.

But there's some strange new behavior on the part of Henry. Yesterday (Sunday), he took to sitting inside the flower box. Not just sitting, but keeping his head down and tail up, remaining motionless. Maggie was perched on the edge. It was almost like when Little Pidgee was getting ready to lay eggs. But Henry is male! This went on for quite a while, then he left. Did not seem ill at all. Even fought with some other pidgees trying to come here. And there is zero nest-building activity, none at all.

Then this morning, I knew Henry was out there, because I heard him cooing, like he does when he's calling Maggie. The curtain was closed, because the sun was still coming through. When I opened it to feed him, there he was back in the box, head down, tail up, Maggie perched on the edge! They both left the box to come and eat. What gives? They're both gone now.

Have not seen Susie yet today, but she still tends to follow Mom and Dad despite their rebuffs. Junior's been coming around more, still very timid.

Whoops! There's Susie! But with a couple of belligerent new ones .

The curfew has been lifted everywhere over here, too. We're steadily returning to some semblance of normality.

Hi Sam,

It's great that Maggie is definitely back!
I don't know the meaning of Henry's behaviour, unfortunately.
I'm relieved to hear that the curfew has been lifted and life is going back to normal.

Tuesday morning now, and although Henry and Maggie have stopped by for breakfast, they showed no interest in the flower box today that I could see. Again, Henry is not acting the least bit ill.

Siam Sam wrote:

Tuesday morning now, and although Henry and Maggie have stopped by for breakfast, they showed no interest in the flower box today that I could see.

Again, Henry is not acting the least bit ill.

Although there's no interest to occupy the flower box, I'm glad that Henry and Maggie are stopping by to eat.

That's great to hear.

Yesterday (Friday), a new Henry-looking young pidgee showed up. Definitely not Susie, but we thought at first it was Junior, who still comes around. But the throat markings were completely different. Still with a distinctive Dalmatian look, so this was a new Henry offspring. Henry and Maggie both attacked it! And viciously. Bounced the kid right out of here. Haven't seen it again. Must be theirs, but they told it in no uncertain terms to get out of Dodge.

Siam Sam wrote:

Yesterday (Friday), a new Henry-looking young pidgee showed up. Definitely not Susie, but we thought at first it was Junior, who still comes around. But the throat markings were completely different. Still with a distinctive Dalmatian look, so this was a new Henry offspring. Henry and Maggie both attacked it! And viciously. Bounced the kid right out of here. Haven't seen it again.

Must be theirs, but they told it in no uncertain terms to get out of Dodge.

:That\\\'s so f
Yep! Pijjie parents are like that sometimes.

Yesterday (Sunday), we saw yet another Henry-looking young pidgee stop by, the fourth one now in the last two or three months, but this one still had a lot of yellow baby fuzz sticking out of the top of its head. Otherwise, all Dalmatian-looking.

Stopped by when the parents were gone so was not chased away. Hasn't been back. Must be from the most recent batch.

Bless his heart. They must be incubating only one baby at a time.

You know we will anticipate a picture soon. :Yes:

Siam Sam wrote:

Yesterday (Sunday), we saw yet another Henry-looking young pidgee stop by, the fourth one now in the last two or three months, but this one still had a lot of yellow baby fuzz sticking out of the top of its head. Otherwise, all Dalmatian-looking.

* Stopped by when the parents were gone so was not chased away.

Hasn't been back. Must be from the most recent batch.

* Smart little pijjie.

Matilda wrote:

Bless his heart. They must be incubating only one baby at a time.

Well, maybe not. We think Junior and The Kid were siblings, the latter having disappeared while we were in Vietnam. The Kid was a normal gray-looking pidgee. But it's true we've never seen a pidgee that could be Susie's sibling. And the the most recent two Henry-lookers seem to have come from different batches, but they showed up only the one time each.

Junior and Susie get into some really bad fights, always Junior's fault. They'll be eating together, then Susie must cross some sort of line, and Junior attacks. :(