Wood Pigeons Nest...why So Low Down In Tree?

[TTG]

Hi all. A pair of Wood Pigeons have nested in my gardens tree. It's not very high up. The nest is probably only 7-8 feet up in the tree and quite exposed (not very dense leaves or branches surrounding it). Is this the norm?

[follyfancier]

I have noticed that too, I have at least 3 pairs this year and they just pick the nearest fork in a tree ,they don,t make very good parents at all, not like the blackbirds or robins, when they think the baby is ready to go they push him out the nest and leave him to it, I found 3 poor little ones that I had to rescue and move into the bushes last year

[Robinia]

I'm wondering if it's something they've adapted to. Certainly in my area more and more people have had trees removed, especially conifers which the wood pigeons seem to like. If and when I've had nests they have picked the highest spot so I'm hoping they don't decide to build in the next couple of weeks as I've booked the tree surgeon to do some much needed pruning.

[gness]

Despite having a garden full of trees the wood pigeons in my neighbour's garden have built a scraggy and wobbly nest on top of the security light above a conservatory.....a short stretch for a cat but I suppose it's warm...☺

[Chipchopper]

They do sometimes seem to choose a silly site, I've known them to make a nest in a tree that's overhanging a busy arterial road with lorries and double decker buses thundering past only inches below.
Usually though they seem to get away with it.

[TTG]

Thanks for the answers, very informative. Unfortunately some sad news. I found both lifeless chicks (they usually have 2) at the bottom of the tree a few minutes ago.

[gness]

That is sad, TTG.....we have been wondering about the nests in the wet and cold weather this year.
The one I've been watching next door is so flimsy that it offers little protection from the elements for a newly hatched chic...x

[Robinia]

I love them, I think they like to live on the edge, literally. Their nests look as though they've gathered a bunch of twigs, thrown them down and jumped on before they had chance to fall back to the ground. A bit of bottom shuffling and they all weave together, job done.
Same with mating...I saw a pair attempting some romance perched on the top of a very narrow wooden fence but after three or four tries they suddenly overbalanced & disappeared over the far side. A couple of minutes later they popped back up and one gave the other that look that I swear said 'Forget it, you clumsy oaf' :)

[Robinia]

Oh that's a shame TTG...they'll probably try again before long.

[gness]

Robinia.....they are the most delightful birds to watch as you say.....and I swear I can read the expressions on their faces....

I had a sort of cast iron font on the fence held with just one nail.....the pigeon would land on it......the font would swing like a pendulum and the pigeon stayed put.....think he enjoyed it....

And they're not slow to stand under feeders to catch the falling food.....meals without effort....☺

[Hypognosis]

@TTG

Two chicks falling to the ground sounds rather improbable.
Similarly strange for a predator to attack the nest but not eat the chicks.

A cuckoo might fit the bill but it is now too late in the year; most of them will be well on their way back to Africa, by now.

Hopefully, the woodpigeons will select a better site, next time.

[wildwood]

For some reason most pigeons/doves species build flimsy nests and the eggs can often be seen from beneath. It may stam back from millions of years when the few proto pigeons nested on rock and mountainous places. The rock dove - the ancestor of all fancy pigeons - still prefers to build on solid ledges. It seems that instead of developing a more efficient nest building protocol, they've compensated for this by nesting repeatedly with a very short fledging period for such a robust bird.

Two young chicks falling out of the nest is not unusual. Often another pigeon likes the look of the tree and this causes territorial conflict. During the heat of the standoff the nest only needs a nudge and it becomes very unsafe.

[Hypognosis]

@wildwood

I don't know what it is with woodpigeons: they are one of the most skittish creatures I can think of. They take flight, from positions of complete safety and concealment, in the treetops, when I'm over 50 yards away. And I take care not to walk loudly or disturb the wildlife.

If the bests are that flimsy, maybe the one on the nest took off with such force that they knocked the whole structure down? TTG said he found just the chicks on the ground, not an entire broken nest.

Thanks for the extra info though. My thinking was that, if the odds of a chick falling out, by accident, were small, then the odds of two falls would be vanishingly small. This doesn't allow for the fact that accidents have reasons and a big hole in the right place would make two falls inevitable, rather than improbable.

[TTG]

Once again, thanks for the comments. Looking more closely at the nest, I am certain the poor chicks fell from the nest. I found it quite upsetting to bury them. I do hope the parents try again.

[TTG]

I noticed earlier this evening a wood pigeon sat on the nest but not on there now.