Dad is actually standing guard here; he's been especially attentive with this nest. I think that's due to some recent bad weather. I've noticed that in past years when we have storms he tends to stick much closer to Mama and the babies:
I was only able to photograph one baby's head so I'm still not sure there are two this time. I didn't want to upset Dad so I kept at a safe distance:
Once the baby/babies are a little bigger I should be able to tell how many there are. In the meantime, welcome to Dove Central, little one/s.
Maybe they're forming a little choir... :)
ReplyDeleteWe went out to check on them yesterday and the nest was already empty, sigh. So now I'll never know if there was one or two.
DeleteDoves in my backyard always made nests big enough for their eggs, and the chicks outgrew them quickly. I would rescue the fallen treasures and put them back up on the branches when the parents came calling.
ReplyDeleteThese pics bring back so many memories of my distant childhood.
None of the dove babies have yet fallen out of the nest, but I did rescue a wayward starling baby once. No sign of a nest, but we have a wild bird rehab center in our region so we took him there.
DeleteThey are prolific birds aren't they? And so sweet. I'm trying to master the photograph but struggle with digital cameras. I need my glasses on to see the little screen but not what I'm trying to capture, and usually by the time I get the camera out, the moment has passed. I'd have loved an artistic / creative bone somewhere in my body .. .. .. and I'd like to say I didn't get one because beauty / brains / style took the lion's share but that'd be a laugh!
ReplyDeleteI was the same way with a camera a few years back, Fran. Then I decided to do a year-long project of taking a new photo every day to learn how to better use my camera. That got me into the habit of taking pics and improving my reaction time -- although I'm still pretty slow, and miss a lot of lovely shots, occasionally I get lucky.
DeleteThat pair is single-beakedly repopulating the entire state of Florida from your porch.
ReplyDeleteYep. Pretty soon they're going to have to give us status as a dove sanctuary. :)
DeleteI didn't realize mourning doves mate for life. Evidently, they also always lay two eggs and can have four or five nests a year. Aren't you the lucky one! ;o) But they are so pretty and I love their coo.
ReplyDeleteI love that about this pair, and now I've seen them so often I know it's the same couple. They are really fertile, too.
DeleteSeveral years ago I bought a beautiful hand-painted "house" I'd planned to use for package deliveries when I wasn't home. The UPS men never once used it so a little thrash moved in, claiming it as her mansion. Fun to watch as she and her mate both flew in and out, making the nest together. Now she's sitting on the eggs. Isn't nature awesome?
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What a surprise that must have been, Susan. I had some carolina wrens do the same thing to our grill:
Deletehttp://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2009/05/burgers-and-birds.html
http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2009/06/goodbye-grill.html
This is great! I have a thras couple who took over my UPS package delivery box, shaped like a birdhouse with a hinged door and huge. I supposed they wanted to live in a mansion. Fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteWe've learned to be very careful here with any container that sits outside, especially hanging plants: http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2009/05/oh-hang-me.html
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