A family of pigeons was discovered hiding in a narrow gap beneath a Royal Mail delivery van, having secretly accompanied a driver for approximately three weeks. Louise Thomas, a Royal Mail employee in Nailsea, Somerset, reported that the birds were only found on Saturday when the mother was observed climbing back into her nest.
Rescue Operation
The rescue team, Curious Critters, later located the mother's two babies, known as squabs, tucked away near the van's chassis. All three birds were in good health, according to the rescue team, after the mother laid and hatched her eggs in the warm and dry vehicle. 'Given pigeons sit on their eggs for around 18 days, and the squabs are at least three weeks old, they have been there for a long time,' Curious Critters stated.
How They Got In
The mother initially managed to climb into the van by squeezing through an extremely narrow gap on its underside. Two volunteers from Curious Critters, named Sarah and Emma, explained that they had to lift the vehicle with an A-frame to access the birds' nesting place. When they crawled underneath, they saw the pigeons peering down at them from above.
'The gap they had nestled into was extremely narrow and right at the back of the chassis,' Sarah and Emma said. 'Surprisingly, all three were clean and in excellent health. The squabs' crops were full, so the parents have been feeding them well.'
Aftermath
The family has since been taken to Curious Critters' rehabilitation aviary in Backwell, where the mother continues to feed her two babies. Once they have recovered, the pigeons will be released together as a family. In a Facebook post, Ms Thomas estimated that the family had spent almost a month riding along with drivers dropping off packages. She wrote: 'I would like to say a huge thank you to the ladies at Curious Critters for coming to the rescue of this little family who had nested in the chassis of one of our vans! The nest was built, the eggs laid and hatched and the kids brought up all in the chassis of the van, all unbeknownst to the staff until when they were heard! They have been out on delivery every day for approximately three weeks according to the experts at Curious Critters. Safely rescued with thanks.'
Royal Mail's Reaction
A spokesperson for Royal Mail added: 'A colleague at our Nailsea delivery office spotted a bird trying to get underneath one of our vans and, after taking a closer look, realised a small nest had been tucked away there for a while. It's not something we see every day but we're really glad it was spotted and that the birds could be safely rehomed.'
Curious Critters noted that the pigeons chose to nest inside the van because it was warm, dry, and safe from predators. A spokesperson said: 'We've heard of many animals nesting or getting trapped in or under vehicles but never for this amount of time and not only surviving but thriving. Once the juveniles are fully independent and flying well they will all be released and will hopefully find a better place to nest in the future.'
