Country diary: It doesn't pay to be a brightly coloured pigeon | Claire Stares

"Every morning, just after sunrise, a small colony of feral pigeons stirs, emerging from behind the solar panels. All but one are pure white, stark against the slate. The outlier, a single male with mottled black-and-white plumage, struts along the ridge tiles with his chest puffed out, as though he knows he's unique. These birds are descendants of rock doves, once dwellers of sea cliffs and mountain ledges, now almost entirely urbanised."

"Peak breeding season is March to July, but feral pigeons will lay year-round if they have shelter and a consistent supply of food. They're discreet parents, but from my vantage point I catch glimpses of their domestic life nesting material clumsily deposited through the bird mesh, feathers ruffling as they squeeze through a gap to swap incubation duties or feed their young with regurgitated crop milk."

"The squabs stay hidden until they fledge, suddenly appearing almost fully grown beside the adults. Only the puffs of down poking through their plumage betray their youth. This is also the only roof in the cul-de-sac covered in a crust of egg-yolk yellow maritime sunburst lichen (Xanthoria parietina). The flock's droppings have created ideal nitrogen-rich conditions for this tough lichen to thrive. Its dense, leafy lobes cling to the tiles, forming intricate patterns that add a vibrant splash of colour to the dull suburban roofscape."

An uninterrupted view reveals a small colony of feral pigeons that emerge each morning from behind solar panels. Most birds are pure white; one male is mottled black-and-white and courts a hen persistently. The sloping roof and void behind the panels mimic ancestral cliff habitats, providing warm, dry shelter ideal for nesting. Feral pigeons can breed year-round with shelter and food; parents exchange incubation and feed squabs with regurgitated crop milk. The flock's droppings create nitrogen-rich conditions that support dense patches of egg-yolk yellow maritime sunburst lichen (Xanthoria parietina) on the tiles.

Read at www.theguardian.com