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If it was an accident, it was a fortunate one for £250 per pup :-) :-) They look lovely, and hope they're found good homes. Interesting cross - Shih Tzu and Jack Russell. Works well

Well, the baby went into the Sputnik of his (her?) own accord yesterday. Really pleased with this, as he can now see out and get a good view of his surroundings. Might need to get a bigger Sput though, as they're looking a bit crowded when they're all sunning themselves in there :-) The baby was 29 days, so is this about average for a yb to be able to fly? I guess so, but I was amazed at how strong and long his wings are :-)

Cheers chaps :-) The babe has now found out how to fly onto the top of his nest box, but just jumps off it - already taking a keen interest in the peanuts I give to his mum and dad as a treat. He's getting some lovely markings :-)

Absolutely. Can't wait :-)

Very best wishes for the future. As others have said, hope you manage to keep in touch through PB. Experience and knowledge is the most valuable thing here.

I'm working on it Leroy ;-) They'll be racing from the garage roof to the shed :-)

I started feeding peanuts to my poorly bird to feed him up, when he was very light. Had to chop them up. Stuart (swilcox) put me onto redskin peanuts from Asda (their wholefood range). They are, of course, human-grade, and good quality. When I got the hen, she was very nervous of me, and I tried to feed her a few now and again. Had to put them in front of her, then move away. She'd then eat them with relish. Over time, she now happily eats them out of my hand - they both do. Excelent for taming. Have to keep a check on how many they're having though as they're not racers (have to watch their weight).

Any news on the bird? Did he come back - have you seen him?

I meant a shame for the eggs/baby birds - not the magpies.

Sorry to post boring pics, as having a baby (or pair) is a regular occurence for most here. But I still can't get my head around how quickly they develop! More distinctive colouring now too. The first is of Dad (pigeon in the kitchen) and Mum sunning themselves yesterday, and the other two are of the little one.

What a great end to the story :-) It's great for Martin to know that his efforts paid off and that the bird was sent on his way home after a rest and some refreshment. Well done again Martin. If you'd like to keep birds, you don't actually have to race them (what am I saying on a pigeon fancying/racing site ;-)) You can keep them as 'pets' and enjoy them without the risk. Plenty of advice here on what to have as a loft (I have a 6'x4' shed). They can hopefully go out for exercise, but they don't need to go long distances like the pros here. You need to be careful what you get and what age, but as I say, it is possible to have these lovely birds without being a racer. This is what I'm currently doing. If you have a spare few hours ;-) , check out the pigeon in my kitchen thread. It's long, but shows how I got attached to pigeons - and now have three :-) http://forum.pigeonbasics.com/m-1206123382/ Well done again, and good on you sherbs for coming on and reporting the return.

Crikey - brilliant effort. Well done :-)

Martin - fingers crossed, he's gone on his way, and might even be back in his loft with his mates. But, as Susan and others have said, keep an eye out - he might be back ;-) Well done for looking out for him and your concern. Excellent :-)

Hey, well done for taking him in - really good of you. Wish I was close. What are the bird's feathers like. Flat or puffed out? What about the eyes - droopy, or nice and open? As Susan has said, water a few inches deep so that he can drink. You could try waggling your finger in the water, as that can encourage them to drink. Splash your finger about a bit. If you're able to keep him out of harm's way, that'd be excellent. Your dog might get a bit braver, so watch that. Anyone near the Wirral who can help out? You're doing a sterling job, Wendy. Well done.

What a real shame. We have regular magpie visitors in our garden, and I've not had any problems with them so far, but am making sure the sputnik entrance is only open enough to let air in, rather than an unwelcome bird. A good warning, but really sorry about your eggs. I can imagine how you feel :-(

I saw this live on BBC ONE a while ago. Absolutely brilliant publicity for pigeon fanciers and a great way to introduce it to youngsters. Excellent :-)

Plenty of pro-owl/anti RSPB comments under the story too :-)

Well done, Martin. Good luck :-)

Cheers Phil. Will wait for some indoor flight before trying. Will report back. Many thanks :-)

Many thanks, Sue. Good to hear from you :-) I had to shove him into the Sput the day I caught him after his 3 days AWOL, so he's done it once, but the repeat suggestion is worth me trying. As you say, and other suggestions, very welcome. Baby is walking around the shed, and spends some time in his bowl, and others behind it. He's been near the food and water hoppers, so might be getting close to feeding himself (?) There will be more eggs fairly soon - saw the parents 'at it' in the Sput the other day - in full view!! ;-) I've been keeping food in there pretty much 24 hours a day as I was anxious to make sure there was plenty in there for them to feed him. Is this wrong - should I go back to once or even twice a day? I guess the dad will be more likely to come back in if he's hungry

How many returned?

Thanks Phil. I never did tell you about the time when I let him out and he didn't come back for 3 days!! That was before the babe was born. But he went through the shed door, so hopefully if he can go out of the sputnik door, it'll make it better. Do you think I should wait for the baby to fledge, and let them have access to the outside at the same time? Worried stiff I'm going to lose the little one. I'll certainly be taking the day off work when I do it to make sure I'm on hand. If you have any tips, I'd really appreciate it, Phil. David

Really lovely pictures here. Quite some history :-)

Cheers :-) Still not certain that dad will actually come back to the shed (although he'll come back to the garden or the roof of the house). Hoping that he'll stick to his babe and that'll draw him back in?

The pigeon in the kitchen's first born (I think ;-)) is doing well! Took this one at three weeks on Tuesday. Not too worried if he and his wife have a couple of brothers and sisters for him (or her): Dad's still doing great - just think of the state he was in a few months back: