Pouring rain and pigeon problems

We've had 4 days of fairly relentless rain and strong winds here in California. Luckily there was very little snow in the mountains, so there has been no flooding in Sloughhouse. Our river, the Cosumnes, is usually only a threat when we get warm rain on a snow pack. So far, so good.

It's soggy and nasty outside, though.

I went out to check the animals this morning after the wind died down. Just as I got halfway across the lawn, one of those dark red bands you see on TV weather radar must have passed overhead. What a downpour! I wish my shower worked that well. I hurried the best I could with my poor balance and shambling gait, but I got totally soaked before I got back to the house. There was even an inch of water sloshing in my shoes. My new shoes.

That passed quickly, so I changed clothes and went back outside. I found the chickens all dry and fine. Our years of dealing with bad weather, predators, and other emergencies has finally paid off. Bob's pen design and his carpentry skills are proving to be superior. The new pens he built for me are great even in the worst weather. (Knock on plywood.)

In the pigeon pen, however, I found a mess. There was no water, but there were 2 dead babies. I found their siblings hiding on the ground. One was pecked on the head.

It seems there is a rogue pigeon in the pen that throws babies out of their nests, and I haven't been able to determine which one it is. Maybe it's because there are too many pigeons in the pen? Maybe it's because I had them locked up while it was raining? I had found the big speckled baby on the floor out there a couple of weeks ago Let's call her Rita. That's easier to type than big speckled baby.

These are the two bigger babies I found this morning. They aren't happy being in a nest together. The gray is spunky and gives me karate chops with its wing. The black and white one has been terrorized and isn't sure life is worth living.

I put some medicine on the B/W baby's head, fed them both, and put them in with Rita until I could get another cage ready for them.

As I passed the pigeon pen to find that cage, I heard more squeaking squabs. There were two younger ones hidden in a nest near the roof, out of my sight. Their parents were with them and they seemed to be okay, but their nest was damp and I was worried the murderer would pick on them, too. So I brought them inside.

These are the two younger babies.

Note to Katherine: their mother is one of the Old Owl's kids.

So now I'm handfeeding four baby pigeons. But it's okay because I have help. Rita is a great nanny.

She was pretty excited to see the feeding tube. When I set it down, she picked it up and walked off with it. She knocked over the small bowl of little, round pigeon peas twice. It will probably take a week to find them all on the kitchen floor. Quicker if I have bare feet. The bigger babies didn't appreciate her tweaking their tail feathers and poking her beak in their business. The little ones like her, though.

I need to go online and investigate pigeon murders to see if I can solve this mystery. Has anyone had a problem like this before?