Pinky's big day!

So today was Pinky's big day.  To be honest I was much more scared than she was.  I was actually close to tears, the old softie that I am.  I went down to her cage first thing and opened the door.  She just sat there and wouldn't budge, she always comes flying out as soon as I open the door.  After a few minutes I told her 'Ok I am going in to have breakfast then', closed the door and started to walk back to the house.  With that she went ballistic to come out so I opened the door and she had one massive fly about before coming to rest on the top of her cage.

It took ages for her to venture further, she mostly stayed on my shoulder but eventually I convinced her to sit on the bird table alone for a while.  Mr and Mrs Lovey-Dovey then proceeded to fly about like loonies to get her attention.  I thought they were being friendly and hoped that before long contact would be made and Pinky would spend the day in their company being guided by experienced doves.  How wrong I was.  When they eventually got on the bird table with her they fed with her for a minute or two before Mr Lovey-Dovey pecked at her and scared her off.

L-R  Pinky, Mr Lovey-Dovey, Mrs Lovey-Dovey

It was a very long day in the end, most of it spend outside with Pinky either on my shoulder or sitting somewhere watching the other birds hopefully.  She never went over to them but any time I put her on the Dovecote the male came down and shoo-ed her off.  I always thought Doves were sociable creatures rather than territorial.  It's all quite worrying.

Another thing which worried me was how Pinky tried to follow me indoors every time I went in.  She would flutter against the closed door and eventually sit on the roof and wait for me.  One time she even took to sitting on the opened part of the bathroom window.  At bedtime I felt I should be bringing her indoors to the study but thought it better to persevere.  I had to shut her in her cage again because otherwise she would be left out in the open, a sitting target for Sparrowhawks.  As she hadn't voluntarily tried to get into the Dovecote herself all day and was chased off every time I put her there I knew she wouldn't be roosting safely inside it.

Let's hope tomorrow is another day....