Getting to know the natural world we live in enables us to understand and connect with it a little better. Knowing that it’s not a butterfly, but a painted lady or that’s a robin’s song you can hear begins to build a bond between you and the wildlife you encounter. The more you learn the deeper that bond becomes…
I was very excited when I found this pure white egg shell while out wandering in the woods and I wanted to find out a little more about it.
I learned it belonged to a woodpigeon and that newly hatched egg shells contain the scent of the chick. This can attract predators so the parent bird flies them away from the nest, which is probably why I found it in a clearing. This practice also helps to keep the nest clean as the empty shells can attract parasites and bacteria.
I also discovered that woodpigeons make the flimsiest of nests using just a few twigs and a whole lot of luck. (The parent birds weigh around half a kilo each!) Woodpigeons breed between April and September, they usually lay two eggs and can have two broods a year. Both birds share the parental duties which, in my view, is exactly how it should be.
Their song is very distinctive, you probably already know it, so add it to the list of bird songs you can identify.