Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)

Saturday so prepping the Lodge.  I wandered round the side of the lodge to the outdoor tap to water the verandah pots.  There in the grass was half a white elliptical birds egg.   The cracking round the top clearly showed it had hatched.  While doing something at the other side I found another.  The pair of them brought back a memory from about 3 or 4 weeks ago.  Back then I noticed a Wood Pigeon taking a twig into our neighbours Copper Beech.

It must have been building a nest.   This made me wander along the verandah peering into the tree.  I came eye to eye with this adult firmly sat on the nest.  S/he (both sexes incubate) was deep in the tree and totally immovable.   It was clearly sitting on a couple of, probably very young squabs.

Wood Pigeons are/or can be triple brooded and have been known to have young in the nest at all times of the year.  Presuming we don't have any too severe weather in the next 4 or 5 weeks they will fledge before the worst of winter sets in.