Not So Brief History: On 21 May 1995, while walking past the 220 Recreation Center, I found an adult pigeon walking around the area. The bird showed no fear and allowed me to pick it up. I brought it to my office at the West Casey MOS Library. I named the pigeon Henry. For the next three weeks it spent the nights in the back room and the days walking around the immediate area of the MOS Library. After trying various types of food to feed it, it was determined that the pigeon would eat only canned corn, supplemented by dandelion leaves and other things found during its daily walks. During this time, the bird made no attempts to fly, except for the last three days he was here. No obvious physical injuries were noted. On the day before he left, he flew off for about two hours, returning at dusk. The next day Henry left at 0800 hours and did not come back. After locating a place close to Uijongbu where a local Korean kept pigeons, my landlord and I went there to try to buy a pair of birds. Low and behold, there was Henry. I identified Henry to his owner by the band on the bird’s leg (KOR 1993 18518). After that the owner gave me a pair of young pigeons and said I could have as many as I wanted. At that time two was enough. I did not have a proper cage yet, so I let them walk around the office area, which they did. The younger of the two died of some disease a week later. The other learned to fly and left. I decided to get a cage before getting any more pigeons. Three weeks later, with the cage in place in front of the MOS Library, I got four more pigeons. All were young, but much older than the first pair. I locked them in the cage for about two weeks, and then released them. The first one to come out was found dead under the cage the next morning. It seemed to have the same disease that killed the one in my first pair. The next one to come out hung around for a few hours and was never seen again. The remaining two did not come out of the cage until the fifth day after I opened the doors. They stayed on a roof of a building some distance from here, but still in sight, for most of the day, then disappeared. That night only one returned to the cage, the one named “Gimpy”. The other was nowhere to be found. The next day, late in the afternoon, Gimpy brought the other one home, and since early October 1995, they have been faithfully returning every day. They were good friends. Always together, they seemed to be a pair. But, as spring was fast approaching, the friendship dissolved. Serious fighting became a common sight, mainly within the cage, but occasionally outside as well. This went on for about a week, until 12 Feb 96, the first really nice day of 1996. For that whole day, each of the pigeons was returning to the cage with a female companion. Some were fine looking birds, others were drab. The males were trying to get the females into the cage, where they had jointly built a nest during the winter months. I decided that it was necessary to catch one of the females in order to have a pair of breeding pigeons. Obviously both of my birds were male. I devised a trap using string, cardboard, and several screw eyes. The next day, 13 Feb, at 1500 hours, I successfully captured a female. Her and the good looking male were locked up together in the cage. The female went into a box and stayed there until the next day at about 1000 hours, when I opened the door and let her go. I wanted a female with more colors. The one I had was various shades of gray with no real contrast. She and the male left. For the next three days I was unable to catch another female. Although several did arrive with the males, none actually went into the cage. On Saturday, 17 Feb 96, at about 1500 hours, I noticed several spots of blood on the bottom of the cage. One of the pigeons had obviously been hurt by whatever did it (probably a cat). It turned out to be the good looking male. Gimpy was still around and had hooked up with the same female that I had caught earlier that week. After several unsuccessful capture days, I again caught the same female on 22 Feb 87, at 0845 hours. This daily log of pigeon events begins at this point.

22 Feb 96: I have named the female C.T. for Twice Caught. She went directly into a nesting box after capture, where she remained until about 1000 hours. At that time, she ate some food. She is not a happy camper, but Gimpy seems contented in his confinement. At about 1515 hours C.T. displayed a strong desire to escape by flying against the screen many times. After a half an hour, she returned to the nesting box.

23 Feb 96: C.T. stays in the nest box most of the day. She’s still scared, but eats a little. At 1515 hours, she again attempts to escape by flying against the screen.

25 Feb 96: C.T. is becoming a lot more relaxed in the cage. She doesn’t sit scared in a box all day like she had been. Actually at about 1600 hours she and Gimpy had some pigeon sex, PS for short.

29 Feb 96: PS is a common sight in the cage. C.T. does not try to escape as much as she used to. Since engaging in PS, the desire for escape had apparently all but stopped. The pair have begun to build either a new nest or repair the old one. I am not sure at this point. Not only is this the last day of February, but I had a raw oyster last night and was fortunate enough to have a little PS of my own, only without the P.

4 Mar 96: The pigeons have decided on a place for the nest. They have been building a new nest in the far right box, the opposite side of the cage from the old nest. The have put a lot of pine needles in the box. Gimpy brings them to C.T. and she arranges them in the box. I suspect eggs are in the near future.

7 Mar 96: At exactly 0845 hours this morning, it has been two weeks since I locked Gimpy and C.T. in the cage. It was very difficult for me to not open the cage doors to see what would happen. Finally, at 1045 hours, I could not help opening the doors. Gimpy came out first followed by C.T. Gimpy flew to the top of the cage. C.T. went to the ground. Gimpy followed. They were eating things in the area for about 15 minutes. I went inside the office for a second. When I went back outside, both birds were gone. I do not know which way they went, but I’m willing to bet that they went across the street to where C.T. came from. At 1100 hours, both Gimpy and C.T. returned and sat on the ACAP roof. Gimpy went into the cage several times while C.T. waited on the roof. One time they had PS on the roof, then Gimpy went into the cage, climbed into the nest, and started calling C.T. She hesitated, then flew to the ground about ten feet from the cage. A minute later, she started to fly to the landing platform, but at the last second changed to the roof of the cage. After a few seconds, C.T. flew to the platform and looked through the screen to Gimpy, who was still calling her from the nest. C.T. wanted to go in, but she was obviously nervous about it. she went back and forth from door to door looking in the doors at the nest, then backing up to look through the screen. After about five minutes of this, she flew to the roof of the cage and walked all around the top, strutting and stretching as tall as she could. Again she flew to the platform, hesitated a few moments, than walked in the door by the water dish. After standing there for a minute, she turned around to look out the door. A second later, she turned again and climbed the perches to the nest, where Gimpy was waiting. A minute later I closed the door. From the time she left the cage (1015 hours) to the time she reentered (1115) was one hour. At 1500 hours, Yak and I decided to let them out again, which we did. The both came out and, as previously, spent about 15 minutes eating whatever on the ground in the area of the cage. Then the departed together in the same direction as always and did not return that day.

8 Mar 96: Upon arriving to work at 0755 hours, both Gimpy and C.T. were walking around the office eating stuff from the ground. I opened the cage door and within 3 minutes, both birds were in the cage and in the nest. Maybe this thing will work out after all. Time, and eggs, will tell. The birds stayed in this area all day, except for about a five minute period when they took off for where ever they go. That was at about 1330 hours. I had just enough time to open the cage, take out the old cardboard, and sweep out the bottom of the cage. They returned before I had finished. Gimpy was very interested in what I was doing. He flew on to the cage roof and even onto the open front of the cage. I had to calmly chase him off so I could finish the cleaning. C.T. remained on the ACAP roof. After replacing the cardboard, cleaning the heater, and putting in clean water, I closed the front of the cage. Both birds then went inside. At about 1600 hours, after walking around the area for a while, Gimpy appeared ready to go where ever he goes at night. However, C.T. showed a desire to stay at the cage. After some coaxing by Gimpy, both birds did leave. It was about 1610 hours. The following was told to me by Yak. About five minutes after I finished work, at 1635, C.T. returned to the cage and went directly to the nest. Soon, Gimpy also arrived. He was apparently trying to get C.T. to go back with him. She ignored him, remaining in the nest. Gimpy was flying from the cage to the firelight to the desk and back to the cage. After a while he left the area, only to return some minutes later. Again he left, and again he returned. at about 1800 hours he left the area and did not return. Yak closed the cage door, with C.T. still in the nest.

9 Mar 96: I phoned Yak from my room to let him know that I would be in soon. At that time, Yak told me about the previous evenings pigeon events. He said that, based on C.T.’s actions that evening, a egg was probably laid. When I came in, there was an egg in the nest. It was probably laid between 1700 and 1900 hours last night. The next egg should be laid around 1400 hours tomorrow. I left the cage closed for that day.

10 Mar 96: At 1400 hours, I looked in the nest, but was unable to see any eggs. C.T. was sitting on the nest. About half an hour later, Gimpy was on the nest, and after waiting a while, I saw that there was indeed two eggs. Since pigeon eggs hatch in 14 to 17 days after incubation begins, which is after the second egg is laid, I expect the eggs to hatch on or about 26 or 27 March. I hope all goes well.

11 Mar 96: I opened the cage door at 0800 hours. Gimpy came out immediately. After flying around the area for a few minutes, he left. C.T. is sitting comfortably upon her eggs. I like it. At 1015 hours, Gimpy returned, ate a bunch of food, drank some water, and took over the brooding. C.T. started collecting more pine needles to put into the nest. She continued to do this until about 1145 hours, when she flew off. Gimpy is still incubating the eggs. I expect C.T. to return before 1400 hours to resume her turn on the nest. At 1334 hours, C.T. returned to the cage. She stood on top of the cage while I was outside. She entered the cage a few minutes later, after I went into the office for a moment. It looks like she does not want anyone to see where her nest is. After eating and drinking some water, she resumed her vigil on the nest, at 1345 hours. Gimpy remained in the area for the rest of the day. I closed the cage door at 1615 hours.

12 Mar 96: At 0800 hours I opened the cage door. Gimpy came out immediately while C.T. remained on the nest. He stayed around, gathering pine needles for the nest. C.T. left the nest for a few minutes to help get pine needles. At 1030 hours, Gimpy ate a good sized ration of food, walked out onto the platform, and just stood there apparently watching me. I went into the office for a few minutes and when I went back out, C.T. was standing in the exact same place where Gimpy was when I went in, and Gimpy was on the nest. This is the second time that the bird going on to the nest waited until nobody was around to see the actual switch, which took place at 1045 hours. C.T. flew to the ACAP roof and I went into the office. When I went back outside a few minutes later, C.T. was gone. I looked into the cage and saw that Gimpy was gone, too. I do not like that at all. Both birds were not in the area. At 1145 hours, Gimpy returned to the cage and assumed his role as the incubator. Where and why he left for so long, I don’t know. I’m glad he is back. C.T. returned at 1410 hours, but waited until I went inside the office before entering the cage. She did not sit on the nest, though. Gimpy remained on the nest for about another hour before C.T. took over. Gimpy remained in the area until 1615 hours before flying off. The cage was closed with C.T. inside and Gimpy somewhere else.

13 Mar 96: I opened the cage at 0800 hours. C.T. is on the nest. Gimpy has not returned yet, but his shift on the eggs does not start until around 1000 hours. Gimpy returned to the cage at 1100 hours. Both Gimpy and C.T. ate a bunch of food before Gimpy sat on the nest. C.T. is gathering more pine needles and taking them to the nest. At 1125, C.T. left the area. C.T. landed on the ACAP roof at 1345, where she sat for a while. At 1410 she flew to the landing platform. As soon as she landed, Gimpy came out of the nest and went straight to the food dish. C.T. took three long drinks of water and went to her assigned throne, the nest. It is now 1445 hours. Gimpy is on the nest, C.T. is standing comfortable outside the nest box. C.T. took over the nest a short time later, and at about 1615 hours, Gimpy departed for parts known, but never seen by me.

14 Mar 96: The cage door was opened at 0800 hours. C.T. is sitting on the nest. Gimpy has not yet returned. He returned at 0830 and ate a lot of food. C.T. came out of the cage a few times to gather new pine needles. By 1000 hours, Gimpy was on the nest while C.T. continued to gather pine needles. At about 1045, C.T. left the area headed towards Gate 1. At 1440, C.T. returned to the cage. Both birds remained in the cage until I closed the door at 1600 hours.

15 Mar 96: The door was opened at 0800 hours. Gimpy came out and spent a few minutes in the area, then departed. C.T. is on the nest. At 0945, Gimpy returned, ate, then assumed the position in the nest. C.T. gathered a few more pine needles then departed at 1000 hours. She returned at 1345 hours, and after resting on the platform for a while, sat on the nest. The cage door was closed at 1600 with both birds in the cage.

16 Mar 96: The door was opened by Yak at 0800. Both birds stayed in the area taking turns gathering pine needles for the nest. At 1300, I was going to lock them in the cage, but C.T. headed for Gate 1 at 1255 hours. She returned at 1445, sat on the cage for a short while and entered. The cage was locked at 1450 hours.

17 Mar 96: Opened the cage at 1310 hours. Gimpy is on the nest, C.T. is standing on the lower perch. C.T. emerged at few minutes later. She stayed in the area gathering pine needles for the nest while Gimpy brooded. At 1545, I locked the cage. Shortly after, Gimpy came off the nest and C.T. got on.

18 Mar 96: The cage was opened at 0805 hours. Gimpy came out immediately, C.T. came out shortly after. Both birds flew off. I took this opportunity to open the cage and check out the eggs. All seems OK. As I was closing the door, both birds came in from out of the blue. C.T. went directly to the nest, Gimpy hung around for a while then departed the area. Gimpy returned to the cage at 1035 hours and sat on the eggs at 1107. C.T. left the area after a few minutes of sitting on the cage platform. C.T. returned at 1415 hours. Both birds were locked up at 1600 hours.

19 Mar 86: The cage was opened at 0800 hours. Gimpy immediately came out and flew off. C.T. stayed on the nest. He returned at 1025 hours, ate a bit and took over the nest. C.T. remained in the area gathering pine needles for about 15 minutes, then flew off. She returned at 1520 hours. The cage was locked at 1600 hours with both birds inside.

20 Mar 96: I opened the cage at 0800 hours. Gimpy came out immediately and was gone a few minutes later. He returned at 1045 hours. C.T. came out of the nest and departed at 1100 hours. She returned at 1500 hours and went into the cage. Gimpy stayed on the nest, C.T. stood on the lower perch. The cage was locked at 1600 hours, both birds still in the same positions.

21 Mar 96: The cage was opened at 0800 hours. Gimpy immediately came out, hung around for a minute, then left the area. C.T. is on the nest. At 1000 hours, Gimpy returned, but did not take the nest until 1100. C.T. came out, remained in the area for a few minutes, and departed for parts unknown. She returned at 1430 hours, and went to the nest. Gimpy departed the area just before 1600. The cage was locked by Yak at 1800hours. Gimpy stayed out with the boys.

22 Mar 96: The cage was opened at 0800 hours. Gimpy came in from his night out at 0815 hours. He took the nest at 0945 and C.T. hung around until 1020, then departed. C.T. returned at 1430 hours. Both birds were locked in the cage at 1615 hours.

23 Mar 96: The cage was opened by Yak at 0800. Gimpy left the area, but returned before 1000. After Gimpy tool the nest, C.T. left the area. She returned at 1530 hours. I locked both birds in the cage at that time.

24 Mar 96: The cage was opened at 1345 hours. C.T. went to the tree by ACAP and sat in the branches for about twenty minutes. Then she went to the ground, eating whatever. She stayed in the area until 1530 hours, when I locked both birds in the cage.

25 Mar 96: I opened the cage at 0800 hours. Gimpy came out immediately. C.T. remained on the nest. Gimpy remained in the area until 1100 hours, when he took to the nest. C.T. came out and left the area immediately. C.T. returned at 1450 hours, and took the nest soon after. Gimpy stayed in the area until I locked both birds in the cage at 1620 hours.

26 Mar 96: I opened the cage at 0800 hours. Gimpy went out immediately, stayed around for about 15 minutes, then left the area. He returned at 1145, ate, and took the nest at 1155. C.T. immediately left the area. She returned at 1545, ate, and entered the nest after I locked both birds in the cage at 1620 hours. Tomorrow is the 17th day of incubation. If the eggs are viable, they should hatch sometime tomorrow. I hope so.

27 Mar 96: When I got to and looked into the cage, I saw an empty eggshell on the floor. One egg has hatched, the other should soon follow. I opened the door at 0800 and Gimpy left the area immediately. Gimpy returned at 0950 hours. He took the nest at 1030 hours, after C.T. reluctantly gave it up. C.T. left the area immediately and returned at 1350 hours. Neither bird left after that. Both were locked up at 1620 hours.

28 Mar 96: I opened the cage at 0800 hours. Gimpy immediately came out. He stayed in this area. At 1035 hours I saw the female feeding the one baby. I do not know if both eggs hatched yet. I found another piece of eggshell on the cage floor, but it looked like the other part of the one I found yesterday. So far I have seen only one baby. By 1030 hours, Gimpy was on the nest, and C.T. was gone someplace. She returned at 1320 hours, much earlier than ever returned before the egg/eggs hatched. She sat in the ACAP tree until 1505, when she entered the cage to eat. She took to the nest at 1530. The cage was locked at 1620 hours.

29 Mar 96: The cage was opened at 0800 hours. Gimpy came out immediately. He stayed in the area. Still, no second eggshell. There may only be one baby. Gimpy took the nest at 1000 hours. C.T. immediately left the area. C.T returned at 1325 hours, when into the cage and stood near the nest until she took the nest at 1515 hours. The cage was locked at 1620.

30 Mar 96: The cage was not opened this day because of too much rain. I still cannot tell if it’s one or two babies, but I suspect only one.

31 Mar 96: The cage was opened at 1355. C.T. came out, hung around the area, then departed at 1415 hours.. She returned at 1505 hours. I cleaned the cage, saw one baby, but still cannot tell if it’s one or two in the nest. C.T. forced Gimpy off the nest at 1530 hours. At that time I saw only one baby bird, I think. Still, I’m not sure, but I’m very close to being sure that only one is there. Oh, well, One is better than none. Gimpy stayed in the area for a while, then decided to take a bath. After I changed the water, the cage was locked with all present at 1635 hours, after Gimpy returned from a casual walk around the area.

1 Apr 96: The cage was opened at 0800 and Gimpy came out immediately. He stayed in this general area. I watched C.T. feed the little one. I’ve named him Max. He’s getting quite large for being only 5 days old. I think he is alone. I don’t think the other egg hatched. His eyes are now open. He eats a lot. Gimpy took the nest at 0945 hours. C.T. left the area. She returned at 1235 hours, went directly to the cage, and took the nest. Gimpy came off the nest, but stood nearby on the perch. I saw that one egg is still in the nest. It must be infertile. I guess Max is an only child. At 1305, Gimpy took the nest while C.T. ate. C.T. then left the area again. She returned at 1400 and took the nest. Gimpy stayed in the cage (too much wind outside). At 1530, Gimpy took the nest. C.T. is standing along side on the box walkway. The cage was locked at 1625 hours.

2 Apr 96: The cage was opened at 0800. Gimpy came out immediately and stayed in the area. C.T. also came out for a few minutes, which gave me time to confirm that only one baby is in the nest. The other egg is still there, but it did not hatch. C.T. went back into the cage shortly after noticing that I was interested in seeing the young. At 0930 hours, both Gimpy and C.T. left the area. I took this opportunity to take the egg out of the nest. I cracked the egg and saw that it was totally undeveloped, still liquid. It was infertile. The parent birds returned shortly after I closed the cage door. C.T. went to the nest and was apparently unconcerned at the loss of the egg. She may have known that it was no good. Gimpy took the nest at 1000 hours and fed Max. C.T. left the area. She returned at 1300 hours and went into the cage. Gimpy and C.T. swapped the nest duty several times during the afternoon. I think the cold wind kept them in the cage until I locked it at 1630 hours. Max is not as pink as he was last week. His skin is much darker, which indicates the feathers are beginning to form under his skin. He also got his first good look at me today. I guess that’s only fair, since I got my first good look at him today.

3 Apr 96: The cage was opened at 0800 hours. Gimpy came out immediately, followed by C.T. They both left for a short while. Meanwhile, Max was alone in the nest. I see that his feathers are starting to grow on his wings. They look like dark spikes sticking out of his skin. The parents came back a few minutes later, with C.T. taking the nest. Gimpy took over at 1000 hours and C.T. left the area. She returned at 1200. They stayed in the cage until about 1600 hours, when both of them came out and had PS (Pigeon Sex) on the ACAP roof. It was the first time PS occurred since that laying of the eggs. Getting prepared for the next generation. The door was locked at 1630 hours.

4 Apr 96: The door was opened at 0800 hours. Both Gimpy and C.T. came out and left the area. It gave me a chance to see Max for a while. Both birds returned a few minute later. C.T. went to the nest and fed Max, then both birds left the area again. At 1030, Gimpy returned to feed Max. I heard Max peeping for the first time since he was hatched. C.T. returned at 1145 hours. Gimpy hung around the area. C.T. is in with Max. At about 1400 hours, both birds left the area. C.T returned at 1515 hours and went into the cage. Gimpy has not returned yet. He returned at about 1600 hours. The cage was locked at 1630 hours.

5 Apr 96: The cage was opened at 0800. Both birds immediately left the area, but did not travel far. They soon appeared walking around the outside parameter if this locality. They slowly walked themselves back to the cage, and at 1030 hours, Gimpy fed Max while C.T. remained on the ACAP roof. When Gimpy finished feeding Max, C.T. came down, ate a little, then fed Max herself. When C.T. was finished feeding Max, both her and Gimpy left the area. That was at about 1000 hours. Gimpy returned at 1300 hours and fed Max. Then he stayed in the cage. C.T. returned at 1345. The cage was locked at 1630 hours.

6 Apr 96: The cage was opened by Yak at 0730. Both birds took off. Gimpy came back several times to feed Max, but C.T. did not return until after 1315 hours. The cage was locked at 1415 hours.

7 Apr 96: The cage remained locked all day. Sunday.

8 Apr 96: The cage was opened at 0800. Gimpy and C.T. both left the area immediately. I cleaned the cage because being locked in all of the previous day took its tool on the accommodations. At 1015 hours, Gimpy, C.T. and another pigeon flew around the area together, landing on the 122 Signal Battalion Dining Facility. After about ten minutes, the flew off and circled this area for about 20 minutes, then disappeared. Gimpy returned at 1115 to feed Max, then walked around this area for a while. C.T returned at 1200 hours, Gimpy shortly after. C.T. fed Max at 1300 hours. Both birds left at 1315 hours. Both returned at 1415 hours, went into the cage, and just hung around in there. C.T. fed Max at 1445 hours. both birds remained in the cage until I locked it up at 1630 hours.

9 Apr 96: I opened the cage at 0800 hours. Gimpy and C.T. came out immediately and flew around. They stayed in the area for some time, then left. Gimpy returned at 1245 hours to feed Max. C.T. came back soon after and Fed Max, too. Both birds remained in the cage until I locked the door at 1630 hours.

10 Apr 96: The cage door was opened at 0800 hours. Both C.T. and Gimpy came out immediately and flew off. They returned at 0910 hours. C.T. brought a stick, the first sign of repairing the nest for a new clutch. She fed Max shortly after. Gimpy and C.T. both left the area immediately after feeding Max. Both Gimpy and C.T. returned at 1030 hours. Gimpy fed Max. C.T. went into the cage for food and water. They came out at about 1120 hours and walked around the building eating whatever they could find. They left the area at 1145. Gimpy returned at 1315 without C.T. He fed Max and stayed in the cage. The wind is very strong now. That may be why C.T. has not returned yet. Pigeons do not like flying in wind. C.T. returned at 1440, landing on the ACAP roof. Gimpy left the cage to meet her. Both birds went into the cage at 1400 hours. C.T. fed Max at about 1420 hours. They stayed in the cage all afternoon and I locked the door at 1615 hours.

11 Apr 96: The door was opened at 0805 hours. Gimpy and C.T. immediately came out and left the area. After they left, I took out the nest box next to the one with Max in it, filled it with pine needles and put it back. I want to provide an alternate nest for C.T. to lay her next eggs in. That’s because Max will not leave either parent in peace when they’re in the original nest. Gimpy and C.T. returned at 0925 hours. C.T. fed Max, then went into the newly pine needled nest box. Her and Gimpy began rearranging the needles. Maybe they will use it. Both birds left the area at 0940. They returned at 1115 hours and went into the cage. Gimpy went to the new nest box, C.T. stood on the higher perch for a while. Neither bird has fed Max yet. C.T. fed Max at 1130 hours. Gimpy is in the new nest box calling to C.T. She is standing on the ledge in front of the new nest box. Gimpy fed Max at 1150 while C.T. waited on the ACAP roof. C.T. went back to the cage shortly after and fed Max at 1250. Both are still in the cage. C.T. left the area at 1310 hours. Gimpy remained in the cage. I went home to move at 1400 hours. Yak said he would lock up the birds as soon as both were in the cage.

12 Apr 96: I opened the door at 0800 hours. Both birds immediately left the area. They both returned at 0915 and went to the cage. Neither bird fed Max before they both left at 0930 hours. They returned at 1045. C.T. fed Max then went with Gimpy to the ground, where they walked around the MOS Library eating whatever. They left at about 0950. They returned at 1150 and C.T. fed Max. Shortly after, Gimpy fed Max. Both left at about 1200 hours. They returned at 1350, left at 1400, returning at 1515, when Gimpy fed Max. They left again at 1530. Both returned at 1550 and departed again at 1600 hours. Neither returned. The cage was locked by Yak at 1915 hours.

13 Apr 96: This account of toadies activities was written by Yak. Arrived at 0720 hours. C.T. was walking on the ground. Gimpy was hanging onto the top of the glass on the front of the cage fluttering his wings, trying to get in. Opened door, Gimpy entered, ate and drank water. Then, at 0735, he fed Max. C.T. went to the ACAP roof. She then, at 0740, entered the cage, ate, drank, and fed Max. At 0750, both adults went to the ACAP roof. PS took place at 0930 hours. Both birds were locked in the cage at 1200 hours.

14 Apr 96: I opened the cage at 1400 hours. Gimpy and C.T. came out immediately and left the area. I took this opportunity to clean the cage. While doing so, I took Max out and put him on the ground. His first outing. He did not like it. He walked back and forth under the cage, obviously afraid. I put him back in his box after a few minutes. I don’t want to freak him out too much at his tender age. There could cause deep scarring of his emotional state of being. Before I finished cleaning the cage, Gimpy returned, at about 1430 hours. He did not like the cage front being opened, but he went into the cage a few minutes later. I went to refill the water dish and when I returned and put it into the cage, he drank immediately. I also refilled the food dish. When I put it into the cage, he ate immediately. However, he would not feed Max until I closed the cage front. He fed Max twice, one at 1440 and again at 1455. Then he went to the ACAP roof, and I finished cleaning the cage. He returned to the cage a short time later and fed Max again. C.T. has not been back since she left when I opened the cage. She returned to the ACAP roof at 1550 hours. Gimpy flew to meet her, and PS was performed. They went into the cage together at 1600, after which, I locked them in for the night.

15 Apr 96: I opened the cage at 0800 hours. Both birds immediately came out and left the area. They returned at 0830 and C.T. fed Max. After she fed Max, C.T. went into the nest box with the pine needles I put in. She rearranging them to suit her fancy. Gimpy is bringing her some new needles to add to the nest. At 0910 C.T. fed Gimpy again. I put a bunch of pine needles on the bottom of the cage for them to use. At 0925 Gimpy fed Max. I moved the pine needles into the nest box. C.T. and Gimpy both went to it and arranged them, then Gimpy came out to the front perch while C.T. sat in the nest. They have been like this since 0945 hours. It is now 1040 hours. C.T. is still in the nest. Gimpy has been bringing pine needles to her for about a half an hours. It looks like egg laying is soon to happen. Both Gimpy and C.T. came out of the cage at 1155. By 1200, both were back inside and C.T. was feeding Max. A few minutes later, C.T. returned to the nest and sat. At 1415 hours, Gimpy started calling C.T. from the far left box. She went to him and they danced and sang to each other for a while. Then they both went out to the ground and ate something for a little while. After that, they went back into the cage and ate and drank. C.T. fed Max at 1445 hours. I took Max out for a walk, then placed him on the bottom of the cage. Gimpy was totally confused. He did not know how to act. It was very humorous. Soon C.T. came down to see the little one. They would not leave his side. Finally, I put him back into his box and locked the cage at 1615 with all aboard.

16 Apr 96: I opened the door at 0800 hours. Both Gimpy and C.T. left the area immediately. The returned a few minutes later and are now walking around the parameter of the area. They went into the cage at 0830. Gimpy fed Max, C.T. went into the new nest and sat. After feeding Max, Gimpy stood on the front perch. (Looks like a repeat of yesterdays activities) It is now 0910, and Gimpy is sitting beside C.T. in the nest box. At 1015, Gimpy began bringing pine needles to C.T. in the nest. Max just exercised his wings by flapping them for about 3 minutes. He will be flying before too long. They do grow up fast. Gimpy fed Max at 1115 hours. Max flapped his wings for exercise again. After Gimpy finished feeding Max, C.T. came out of her second nest, ate, drank, and fed Max herself. Then she went back into the second nest. At 1135, Gimpy again started bringing pine needles to C.T. in the second nest. Gimpy fed Max at 1345 hours. I took Max out of the cage for a little while and let him run around upon the ground for exercise. After about twenty minutes, I put him back into his nest. All birds were locked up at 1610 hours.

17 Apr 96: I opened the cage at 0745 hours (Got here early). Gimpy and C.T. left the area immediately. Upon looking into the second nest, I discovered that a single egg was laid last evening. Gimpy and C.T. returned at 0800. C.T. went to the nest and sat on the egg. Gimpy brought her some pine needles. It is raining pretty hard now, so Gimpy went to the ACAP roof to preen in the rain. At 0905, after staying out in the rain until he was soaked to the skin, Gimpy went into the cage. I closed it so the heater could help dry him off. Max, for the first time, came out of the nest box by himself. He crossed over to the second nest where C.T. is sitting on the newly laid egg. Now we have a problem. Max gets so excited that he may break the egg. I’m thinking about putting him on the floor for the rest of the time. At 1110, Both Gimpy and C.T. came out and left the area. I took this opportunity to remove Max from the second nest and return him to the original one. At 1305, Gimpy sat on the egg and C.T. left the area. Max is still sitting in his nest box. C.T returned at 1420 hours. She went into the second nest. Gimpy came out and is hanging around the area. As of yet, I have not seen Max getting fed. Max was fed at 1530 hours by Gimpy. The cage was locked with all aboard at 1630.

18 Apr 96: The cage was opened at 0800 hours. Gimpy came out and left the area immediately. C.T. remained on the nest in preparation of the second egg being laid. Max is still in his box. Gimpy returned at 0915 hours. Max was then in the second nest with C.T. When he saw Gimpy coming to feed him. Max went back into his own box. C.T. came out for a stretch and a new pine needle for the nest. Then she returned to the egg. The second egg should be laid at about 1400 to 1500 hours this afternoon. Max is starting to move around a lot in (and out) of his box. He stretches his wings, flaps them for exercise and pecks at anything in his immediate area. I put some food on the ledge to his box to see if he would try to eat. At 1125, C.T. came off the nest and Gimpy sat on the egg. C.T. rested on the ACAP roof for a few minutes, then began gathering pine needles for the nest. C.T. took the nest from Gimpy at 1255 hours. Egg laying time is very near. Gimpy and C.T. remained in the cage until 1500 hours, when C.T. came off the nest to get some pine needles. When I looked into the nest, two eggs were present. C.T. went back onto the nest. Max is crying for food while Gimpy stands beside him. In between cries, Max eats the food I put on the nest box ledge. He may know how to eat by himself, but he still likes the parents feeding him. Gimpy fed Max some more. At 1630 hours, Gimpy was still on the ACAP roof. Yak locked the cage later, after it was apparent that Gimpy was not going in.

19 Apr 96: When I arrived, Gimpy was trying to get into the cage. I opened the door at 0745 hours. He went straight in. He ate and fed Max, who was in the second nest with C.T. Gimpy coaxed Max into his own box before feeding him. C.T. is on the eggs. Twice today I put Max on the floor of the cage to get him used to the whole cage, not just the nest box. Both times he went right back up to the nest box. He climbs the perches with no difficulty. No point in putting him on the floor anymore. Both birds were locked up at 1630.

NOTE:: From this point on the events in this chronicle will not be in as great a detail as previously. Max is almost grown and will be leaving the nest in a day or two. Gimpy and C.T. have a new clutch to take care of. Detailed events concerning the new clutch will be almost a carbon copy of the previous one. Therefore, only highlights will be annotated in the future.

22 Apr 96: At 1430 hours, Max came off the box ledge and jumped to the highest perch. He walked down to the lower end and wanted to jump to the lower perch, but went back up instead. While Gimpy was in the food tray, Max again jumped down to the highest perch, then to the lower one, then to the floor. He went to Gimpy in the food dish and begged for food. When Gimpy did not respond, Max eat from the food dish by himself.

23 Apr 96: When I arrived, Gimpy and Max were drying out on the lower perch. Both had just finished taking a bath. It was Max’s first bath and probably drinking experience also. Max walks around the bottom of the cage and sometimes sticks his head out of the doors. But, he has not actually emerged from the cage yet.

24 Apr 96: At about 0930, Max came out of the cage for the first time. He stood on the ledge for about five seconds and went back in. He made several attempts prior to actually coming out. He stood in the door and looked as if he was trying to get the courage to come out. It’s a big step for a youngster to make the move out of the security of the home coop.

25 Apr 96: Today Max is 30 days old.

26 Apr 96: This is the first time Max came out of the coop onto the landing board for an extended period of time. he went in and out with Gimpy for about an hour, until Gimpy flew off somewhere. He almost flew to the ground where Gimpy was calling to him. His first flight is going to be soon.

27 Apr 96: The following account of todays activities was told to me by Yak. The cage was opened at 0730, and Gimpy came out immediately and flew off somewhere. He returned before 0900. At 0910, Gimpy and Max were both on the chair in front of the cage. They flew together from the chair to the top of the cage to the top of the office door and to the ACAP roof. On the way to the ACAP roof, Max landed on the wire in front of the roof. Since the wire was very unstable, Max went back to the cage top. Soon he tried again and made it to the ACAP roof. After 1000 hours Max went into the cage and Gimpy took the nest from C.T. Max always goes with Gimpy, not C.T. One point that deserves mentioning. At 0640, Gimpy copulated (PS) with Max!

28 Apr 96: I opened the cage at 1400 hours. Gimpy was on the nest. C.T. came out immediately and left the area. Max stayed in the box. I cleaned the cage and waited for C.T. to return. She came back at 1610 hours. I locked them in the cage and went home.

1 May 96: At first, Max would only go outside the cage with Gimpy (Dad). Yesterday, Max was out for the first time with C.T. while Gimpy was on the nest. Today Max was out first with Gimpy, then C.T. Now he is out alone because Gimpy is on the nest and C.T. flew off somewhere. He is becoming more independent every day.

2 May 96: Today, Max flew off with C.T. after Gimpy relieved her from the nest. It was at about 1040 hours when they left. This is the first time Max has actually left the immediate area. Fortunately, he is not alone. Max returned by himself at 1300 hours. Whether or not he was with C.T. the whole time is not known, but he knew how to get back by himself. He did look somewhat stressed, though. He went into the nest box with Gimpy and sat down beside the nest with the old man.

5 May 96: Today is the day that I figure the eggs should hatch. However, when I came in at 1300 hours, no evidence of hatching was observed. After giving the cage a thorough cleaning, I decided to look at the eggs to see if they were in fact hatching. I had to physically push Gimpy off the nest. He protested with a series of pig-like grunts, but sat beside the nest while I took out each egg to examine it. One the had a series of cracks in it, but no hole has yet been done. The other had a hole in the side. At least I now know that both eggs are good, and, if nothing goes wrong, I will have two baby pigeons this time.

6 May 96: I expected to find eggshells on the floor of the cage, but there were none. At 1145 hours, I again pushed Gimpy out of the way and looked at both eggs. This time, both had a hole in them, but I heard no peeping and saw no activity through the hole. I don’t know what to think. Both are obviously fertile, but will they successfully hatch? No, they will not successfully hatch. At 1545 hours both eggs were still unchanged from before. After opening one then the other, it was discovered that both chicks died while in the process of hatching. This will not happen again. At the first sign of hatching, I will assist in removing enough of the eggshell to allow the chick to escape from the egg without difficulty.

7 May 96: For the first time, all three pigeons hung around together. It was nice to see, but the loss of the two chicks is not worth the sight. PS occurred on the ACAP roof, indicating that a new clutch of eggs is in the making.

13 May 96: A new egg was laid on 13 May at approximately 1700 hours

15 May 96: The second egg was laid at 1400 hours.

20 May 96: A weasel was seen under the pigeon cage. Immediate action was taken to make the cage weasel proof. This consisted of adding a piece of wood at the bottom of the two entrances to the cage, thus blocking the only opening large enough for a weasel to enter when the landing board is locked in the closed position.

22 May 96: Max is beginning to show signs of adulthood. He has lost his squealing call and now coos like an adult pigeon. He has made advances towards C.T., who does not respond. He has also been advanced upon by Gimpy and PS was performed. His eyes are becoming brighter and his legs are turning redder. All these are signs of becoming an adult.

29 May 96: At 1600 hours, I checked each egg to see if any signs of hatching were evident. There were none. I want to know when the chick begins breaking the eggshell so I can render assistance if progress stops before the bird hatches. Note: Based on the intensity of white showing from the inside of the eggshell, around the area of the head, both eggs are the same, either fertile, or not fertile. I will not have only one chick. It will be two or none.

30 May 96: At 1245 hours, I again checked the eggs for hatching indicators. This time a tiny crack was evident on both shells in the right place to indicate hatching has begun. I will check again at 1600 hours to see if any advancements have been made. If no progress is noted, I may assist the chicks in escaping from the shell, a delicate process. Take care now, Bye then. At 1600 hours, I looked at the eggs again. No apparent progress. I tried to assist one chick by opening the shell around the head. My aim sucked and I stabbed the little one in the body and drew first blood. I put it back into the nest and did not do anything to the other egg.

31 May 96: At 0800 I looked at the eggs again. The one I “helped” is dead. The other one shows progress and I can hear it pecking against the inside of the shell. I’ll leave it alone for now.

1 Jun 96: The shell was on the cage bottom. At least we have one baby. Maybe next time we will get two.

2 Jun 96: The baby is doing well. I don’t know what I will name it yet. Yes I do! It’s name will be Sam.

4 Jun 96: Having major problems with Gimpy and C.T. with regards to Max. Since he is nearly an adult, and since the hatching of Sam, Max is not welcome in the cage at all. Both Gimpy and C.T. chase him out as soon as he tries to go in for food or water. The adult pair has taken over the entire cage for themselves. In order to allow another pair to breed in the cage, I think I will have to put a partition in the cage so as to make it have two separate compartments with two nesting boxes in each one. I will do that a soon as possible.

8 Jun 96: Using wood I found in a trash dumpster (5 pallets), I constructed a partition dividing the cage into two separate areas. Now I will go find some new pigeons to use the new space.

13 Jun 96: I have captured a young magpie which has both wings clipped, making flight impossible. He is temporarily using the new space in the pigeon cage. The pigeons do not seem to mind, although they give the magpie some strange looks.

15 Jun 96: I will try to keep the magpie until the flight feathers grow back. It could take up to a year for the cut feathers to shed. If it looks like the bird will not adjust to cage life, I will release it after pulling the cut feathers. That way, the new feathers will grow in about a month, but he will be able to fly before then, if he survives.

17 Jun 96: I have adapted the cage to accomodate the magpie. I replaced the flat pigeon perches with round ones (broom handles) and removed the nest boxes, adding another round perch. I have built a food dish and a water dish to get the food off the floor. These were placed near perches. I also built an insert to fit the front of only the magpie side of the cage. This was I can clean the pigeon side without the magpie escaping. The insert is hinged so that it can be swung up out of the way for easier cleaning.

18 Jun 96: The baby pigeon (Sam) is now two and a half weeks old. He is completely black on his head, wings and back, except for three white feathers on each wing at the wrist. His lower body is a lighter gray. The black feathers of the upper body are edged brown. At 1230 hours, I took the magpie out of the cage and, using a pair of pliers, pulled eight feathers from one wing and seven from the other. It was a horrible experience for both the bird and myself.

20 Jun 96: Gimpy and C.T. stayed in the area all day, which is not normal. C.T. spent a lot of time sitting in the nest box with Sam. It looks like another clutch is about to happen. The strange thing is that no Pigeon Sex (PS) has occurred. They could have done it somewhere else, but they were here all day. C.T. showed that she wanted PS, but Gimpy did not respond.

21 Jun 96: As I thought, an egg is in the box with Sam. C.T. is lightly sitting on it. The next egg should be laid at about 1400 hours tomorrow, 22 Jun 96. At 1100 hours I moved Sam to the other box with the clean pine needles in it. I then removed the nest box with the egg in it and removed the old nasty pine needles, replacing them with fresh needles. I put the egg back in the box and placed the box back into the cage. Gimpy and C.T. have both accepted the change. The nest is now clean for the new clutch.

22 Jun 96: I came in at about 1100 hours. I noticed immediately that a lot of large feathers were on the cage bottom. Yak then told me what happened the night before (2

1 Feb 96::) after I went home. Just before dark, Gimpy flew off to where ever he goes at night. C.T. was on the nest with the egg in it. Sam was in his box. When Yak locked the cage, he noticed that there were three birds in it, assuming that they were Gimpy, C.T. and Sam. After he went back into the office, Yak heard a lot of noise coming from the cage. Upon looking in, he saw that Max, not Gimpy was in the box trying to have pigeon sex with his mom, C.T. She was trying to fight Max off, but to no avail. The egg was bouncing around the box making a lot of noise. Yak said it sounded like a pool hall. Yak opened the front of the cage and tried to grab Max by the neck to get him ready for the pot, but he got him by the tail instead. Max pulled away and flew out of the cage, but he left nine of his twelve tail feathers in Yak’s hand. I guess his days are numbered. At exactly 1400 hours, C.T. laid the second egg. These eggs should hatch on 9 July 96, if they are any good.

27 Jun 96: I released the magpie due to it’s nastiness. It was just to much trouble to keep the cage clean. His wing feathers have started growing back, and he should be able to fly in about a week.

30 Jun 96: Sam made his first voluntary flight from the cage at about 1400 hours. He spent several hours out and about the immediate area with Gimpy and Max. On this day, I removed the center partition from the cage and cut out the majority of the wood, adding a screen to it. Now the birds can see each other from both compartments.

2 Jul 96: Max has become such a pain because of his attraction to C.T. that I have locked him in the empty side of the cage. Now he cannot attack C.T. while she is on the eggs.

9 Jul 96: When I came in to the office, I saw two eggshells on the cage floor. One was the empty shell of a hatched chick. The other was the remains of a rotten egg thrown out of the nest. I now have five birds, the most I have ever had at one time.

10 Jul 96: I released Max from his side of the cage. Maybe he knows that this is his side of the cage. I don’t know, but time will tell.

12 Jul 96: Everything went fairly well during the day. Each bird did it’s thing with few encounters, until the evening hours. Gimpy, C.T., Max, and Sam were all in the nest box with the new baby. Yak told me the action was fast and furious. Max trying PS with C.T. , who was trying to fight him off while Gimpy tried to fight off both Max and Sam, with no success. All of them were trampling the baby. Yak reached in and immediately removed the offending individuals (Max and Sam). The baby seems to have survived the incident.

16 Jul 96: Today, Yak worked days because I had to go to Yongsan to verify my retired status. I built a wooden, screened box to hold two pigeons. Tim and I stood near the Yongsan PX parking lot and proceeded to procure a pair of pretty pigeons. The first attempt to grab one ended with a lot of feathers on the ground and no pigeon. The second attempt made a little while later resulted in the capture of a pretty bird. The third attempt resulted in another success. I’m hoping that the two are male and female, but I’m not sure just what they are. Both birds were placed in the transportation box and brought to Camp Casey. They were placed in the right side of the cage at about 1630 hours. Gimpy, in the other side of the cage, was very upset with the new neighbors and made it quite evident. It’s a good thing a screen separated the Gimp from the new birds. Later, Max and Sam were continually trying to get into that side of the cage. They tried so hard that I felt sorry about locking them out, so I let them go inside. Big mistake! All four birds commenced to kicking each others pigeon ass. It was horrible. To make a long story short, I physically removed both Sam and Max, my hand for one, a net for the other, respectively. I put Sam in a box in the back room for the night. Max is trying desperately to get back in the cage. I should have put him in the back room box, also. At this time, I do not know exactly what I’m going to do with Max and Sam.

25 Jul 96: Finally I have a baby pigeon with some visible white on it. Most of the flight primaries are white, the rump is white, and several small white areas are apparent on it’s body.

29 Jul 96: I let the two new birds out at 1700 hours. They have not been seen since.

30 Jul 96: The new baby is almost old enough to leave the nest and start flying. It is now 23 days old.

5 Aug 96: The young bird is now 1 month old. Gimpy and C.T. have both all but stopped coming home any more. Gimpy feeds the baby only one time a day, and is nowhere to be found before or after that one feeding. C.T. stays with Gimpy. Both Max and Sam have not been here for over two days. A stray black pigeon has been sitting the ACAP tree for three days. I don’t know what’s happening, but I know I don’t like it. At 1700 hours, while on my way home, I saw the brown and white pigeon, one of the two I brought here from Yongsan. It was beside the Gateway Club. Maybe I still have a chance to recapture him. Time will tell.

7 Aug 96: When Gimpy and C.T. came back to feed the young one at about 1400 hours, the previous baby, Sam, came with them. I noticed that he was flying very strangely, landing much too fast, and hitting whatever he was landing on with too much impact. I then saw that someone had captured him, tie his leg with a piece of string, which had broken about two inches from the birds ankle, and cut the ends of the primary flight feathers with a pair of scissors. What a pisser! I locked him in the vacant side of the cage. On the way home I saw the brown and white pigeon again. I had a piece of bread with me, so I went over to where he was (Casey Lodge) and threw a piece at him. He ran over and ate it up. He looked really hungry. No one here to throw popcorn for him to eat. I went back to the office to tell Yak and make a noose to capture the bird. When I returned to the place the bird was, he was gone. He was scared by a GI practicing skate board curb jumping at the very site where I intended to catch the pigeon. Again, what a pisser!

10 Aug 96: The baby pigeon made his first voluntary flight away from the door of the cage. He went to the cage roof where Gimpy was waiting to feed him. When Gimpy left the area, the young one returned to the safety of the cage.

11 Aug 96: The young pigeon flew to the ACAP roof and then into the tree. It is his first flight away from the cage. He is grown now. The cage is empty. Gimpy and C.T. did not start another clutch. Everyone just drops in to eat and leave. Now I have a very large bird feeder.

14 Aug 96: It looks like Gimpy and C.T. may have another nesting site. Both Gimpy and C.T. come here each day to eat, but never at the same time anymore. Also, two additional birds have joined the flock. One looks like Sam, almost solid black. The other looks like C.T.

19 Aug 96: The end of an era. The cage has been cleaned and repainted and locked. All the birds have abandoned the nesting boxes and the inside of the cage. They only come by once a day to eat off of the feeder on the roof, then leave. I have decided that if the pigeons do not want to live in the cage and have voluntarily move their nest to another area, taking with them all the other birds, then I will not continue to feed them. The only thing I ask of them for my work cleaning and improving the cage and feeding and watering them is to be here for me to enjoy for part of each day, at least. They have all failed in this respect. Therefore, this will be the last entry for the Chronicles of Gimpy and C.T. It was a good year.