How clutches of eggs do woodies have..

[mr smith]

It's just some of them have been looking a little frisky with each other the last few days.

[bob300w]

It's just some of them have been looking a little frisky with each other the last few days.

They will breed all-year round if the weather is mild in winter, I have seen young in nests in December. If you are asking how many times a year that an individual bird will lay a clutch of eggs, sorry, no idea.

[ferretman]

i have seen young in december and jan.but ant a clue how many a year mate.

[mr smith]

Thanks guys,wasn't looking for an spot on figure.Just thought a few i've seen had a twinkle in their eye and wondered if they get it on more than once a year.

[Highlander]

I think it's generally accepted that a pair can have up to 3 clutches in a year. 2 eggs per clutch. BUT no doubt some might have more (the excetion) whilst I expect the majority only manage one or two. Judging by the number of young birds we were shooting in March and early April 2008 (no neck rings) last years breeding season went almost right through.

[Ice]

Why do we never see baby pigeons???

[Teal]

They like to nest in conifers so you may be overlooking their nests.

[M ROBSON]

I've witnessed 3 broods in a year from a woodie using a holly tree in the neighbours garden here in Fife.

 

Mark.

[Highlander]

Why do we never see baby pigeons???

 

? we see baby pigeons a lot. Picked one up last January that had obviously fallen from a nest and died of exposure. Right through until the end of April we were shooting a lot of young birds (no white neck rings and first plumage). A couple of years back in high summer I witnessed a whole flock of pigeons flighting over a wood. Looked kinda weird the way they were flying (or trying to) until the whole flock passed over and they were mostly young birds pressumably on their first flight. Its all a matter of keeping your eyes open when out and about.

[lewis]

Why do we never see baby pigeons???

 

Their you go... 3 squabs took today

 

cheers

[Jim Sarakun]

SO IF HALF THAT FLOCK OF ABOUT A THOUSAND I WAS FOLLOWING IN FEBRUARY ARE BREEDING FEMALES, THAT MEANS THERE SHOULD BE ABOUT ERRR, 3000 MORE IN THAT FLOCK BY CHRISTMAS. PHEW! BETTER GET SOME MORE CARTRIDGES THEN......

[anser2]

The number of clutches a wood pigeon has depends mainly on food supply and weather. Doves in captivity can have 4 clutches a year and I would expect wood pigeons to have similar potential. However in the real world this potential is unlikely to be reached.

 

Most would probably have 2-3 clutches. It takes 45-50 days from pair formation -nest building - young leaving the nest. It would probably take a further 14-20 days for the birds to return to breeding condition. This breeding cycle has to be fitted into a period of high quality food abundance say march-october about , 210 days just time for 3 clutches in a perfect year. This presumes no clutches are lost , but again in the real world nest predation and bad weather losses are quite high.

 

 

I suspect with the high quality farm food available today and the mild winters the young mature quite fast and many of the winter nesting birds are in fact birds of the year breeding early.