Special delivery! Baby pigeons found hiding out in Royal Mail van… and they’ve ‘been there for weeks’

A family of pigeons that secretly accompanied delivery drivers for nearly three weeks have been found hiding under a Royal Mail van.

Louise Thomas, who works for Royal Mail in Nailsea, Somerset, said the birds were only discovered on Saturday when they were seen returning to the mother’s nest.

A rescue team called Curious Creatures later found the female’s two babies, known as “squabs”, hidden behind the undercarriage of the van.

The rescue team said all three birds were in ‘good health’ after the mother left her eggs in the ‘warm and dry’ vehicle and hatched.

“Given that the pigeons stay on their eggs for about 18 days and the hatchlings are at least three weeks old, they are there for the long haul,” Curious Critters added.

The mother managed to climb into the minibus by first passing through a gap described as ‘extremely narrow’ at the bottom of the minibus.

Two volunteers, Sarah and Emma from Curious Critters, said they had to lift the vehicle on an A-frame to reach the birds’ nesting spot.

When the two women crawled down, they saw pigeons looking at them from above.

Two volunteers, Sarah and Emma from Curious Critters, said they had to lift the van on an A-frame to get to the birds’ nesting spot.

The mother initially managed to climb into the vehicle by passing through a gap described as ‘extremely narrow’ at the bottom of the vehicle.

Sarah and Emma said: ‘The space they were positioned in was extremely narrow and was directly behind the till.

‘Surprisingly all three were clean and in excellent health. The cubs’ crops were full, so the parents were feeding them well.’

The family has since been taken to Curious Critters’ rehabilitation aviary in Backwell; Here the mother is still feeding her two babies.

When they recover, the pigeons will be released together as a family.

In a Facebook post, Royal Mail employee Ms Thomas estimated the family had spent almost a month traveling with drivers dropping off parcels.

He wrote: ‘I’d like to say a huge thank you to the ladies at Curious Critters for coming to the rescue of this little family who have made their home in the undercarriage of one of our vans!

‘The nest was built, the eggs were laid and hatched and the children were raised on the chassis of the van; The staff didn’t know until we were told!

According to the experts at Curious Critters, they’ve been delivering every day for about three weeks. Thanks to you, we were rescued safely.’

A spokesperson for Royal Mail added: ‘A colleague at our Nailsea Delivery Office noticed a bird trying to get under one of our vans and after looking closer realized a small nest had been hiding there for some time.

‘We contacted a local rescue team and they moved them safely to a better spot. ‘This isn’t something we see every day but we’re really glad it’s been noticed and the birds can be re-homed safely.’

Meanwhile, Curious Creatures said the pigeons chose to nest inside the van because the environment was ‘warm, dry and safe from predators’.

A spokesman said: ‘We have heard of many animals burrowing or getting trapped in or under vehicles, but we have never heard of them not only surviving but thriving for such a long period of time.

‘Once the chicks are fully independent and fly well, they will all be released and they are expected to find a better place to nest in the future.’