Hope: the story of a wood pigeon born in a window box in Paris

A couple of Wood Pigeons made a nest in my flower box in Paris, trashing my geraniums. When I noticed the nest, I let them be. One egg was laid and then another. I named the parents Patience and Constant, because they were! They took turns sitting on the eggs 24/7 until the first egg hatched on Bastille Day 2008, exactly 18 days after it was laid. After several more days it was clear that the second egg had died. I named the surviving baby Hope. After the hatching, Patience and Constant continued to sit on the nest, keeping the squab warm, and feeding it with pigeon "milk" which they manufactured from their own food. This pigeon baby food is regurgitated from the throat into the squabs beak. At 12 days old, Hope was left alone for the first time and I found her at 4:00 am, drenched in a torrential downpour. I made a bed for her and brought her in for a few hours, putting her back in the nest before her parents returned! The next night it rained again and I put up an umbrella to keep her dry. In the week that followed she began to stretch her wings, balance on the edge of the window box, and look outward to the world beyond. At 20 days old, Hope flew for the first time. She came back to rest in the nest in the flower box on three occasions. After that she stayed out with her flock. Today she is healthy, plump, beautiful, and free. If you ever have the great fortune to have a pigeon born on your windowsill or balcony, please watch over them tenderly. It is a great gift ...
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