I noticed a few weeks ago a pair of Mourning doves making a nest atop one of the rose arbors. Their cooing sounds mark the beginning of their nesting and raising young. My Autumn Sunset rose was really filling in and starting to bloom so their nest soon became quite invisible. The arbor is part of the raised veggie bed so we were a bit worried about working too close to them. I had read that "nest abandonment is very common with these birds. If they feel any threat from predators whether human or animal, they may go elsewhere to nest, abandoning both eggs and nestlings."
We were right in the middle of adding compost to the beds and planting them so we moved cautiously. That beady black eye was always watching us! (enlarge image below) It seemed like the one dove sitting on the nest never left but another interesting fact I read said that "unlike most birds, these birds tend to incubate their eggs continually. Since the male and female look alike, it appears the same bird is incubating the eggs the whole time.
Actually, the male does a daytime shift and the female does the night shift. If you are not around during the change, it appears the same bird has been on the nest the whole time."
Quoted info gleaned from this site: http://www.wild-bird-watching....
Last week I noticed movement in the nest and saw two little heads moving around, babies! The next day, for the first time, a parent wasn't sitting on the nest, in fact, it was sitting on top of the arbor about 3 feet away. How odd. I waited until it flew away and came in closer to look and I could see a small bird head hanging over the edge of the nest, obviously dead. I climbed up and was sad to see both babies were dead, already covered with ants. No obvious sign of trauma. I removed everything and the next two days, the one dove sat atop the arbor for hours. Maybe living up to it's name, mourning.
Today the cooing calls resumed, I will keep an eye out for a new nest. Usually 2 - 3 broods are raised each season, hopefully the next one will be more successful.
My two fur babies love exploring the garden and sunning themselves on warm days. Lately they have been sniffing out new gopher activity, alerting me to spots for placing new traps.
Penny among the blooms
The girls: Penny, the tiny toy apricot poodle & Kasey the Yorkie
Don't let the cuteness fool you, she is a little spitfire! But being submissive here.
Soon we will add chickens to the mix, just waiting for Brad to build a coop. For now, this is all I have, keeping company with the chives.
Spotted this on my large Echeveria agavoides, placed there by my brother-in-law after a crab feast. Interesting. It stays. :-)
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