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The Mourning Doves Coo
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Description
Slimmer than pigeons and about 12 inches in length. Mourning Doves have a soft gray-brown body and a gray patch on the head.Black dots on their wings and a single black spot behind and below the eyes.
A long tapered white-edged tail that is conspicuous in flight.
Feeding Habits
Common at bird feeders. Try scattering bird seed on a tray or platform feederThese birds prefer open land with scattered trees and shrubs.
Except for wetland and dense forest, mourning doves can be found most anywhere.
They are one of the most widespread and adaptable North American birds.
The best garden habitat includes open lawn, herbaceous border, and flower beds, with scattered patches of trees and shrubs.
Include a source of water close to the ground in addition to providing bird seed and you should be able to attract these birds.
Mourning Dove Nesting Habits
A loosely built nest of twigs, grass, weeds and pine needles. make up these birds nest materials. In fact, this loose pile of twigs is so lightly put together that often you can see through it from the bottom.If she should become startled and fly off the nest too quickly, the eggs could fall from the nest. Bird watchers would be wise to wait until the eggs have hatched before approaching any nest.
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 eggs and nestlings. Bird watchers need to exercise caution.
The nest can be found 5-25 feet above the ground, often in the crotch of a shrub or tree. Laying 2 white eggs that are incubated for 14-15 days. The young will leave the nest in 12-14 days.
These birds have been known to reuse the same nest for five sets of eggs in a single season. Usually 2 - 3 broods raised each season.
You can try attracting doves to nest near you by placing a Nesting Shelf attached to a tree or your house.
Doves, along with Pigeons, produce a food called pigeon milk (not really milk) by glands in the crop of the adult bird. The parent opens its mouth wide, permitting the nestling to stick its head inside to feed on the nutritious food.
In the wild, the adult birds feed primarily on waste grain. These include corn, wheat, grass, and weed seeds.
You can attract these birds to your feeder by supplying white and red proso millet, oil-type sunflower seeds, and cracked corn.
Important Mourning Dove Nesting Information
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Unlike most birds, these birds 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 entire time.
Not to worry, the switch was made while you were not looking.
One More Thing
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This is a difficult task for a single bird and often unsuccessful.
In due course, the surviving mate will find a new mate. Since they nest several times a season, it's possible they will raise a successful brood in the same season. While it's sad to lose these birds in your yard, this is a part of nature and the birds will mate again.
Lifespan
The average lifespan of first year doves is 1 - 1.5 years. First year doves have a mortality rate of 60 - 75 percent and adults have a mortality rate of 50 - 60 percent. For any songbird the first year of survival is the most difficult. Doves that survive their first year can live on average 4 - 5 years.Predators include: birds, snakes, squirrels, cats and hunters.
Other Topics
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Dove Nesting In My Front Tree
I noticed early this season that I had a nest in the crotch of a low hanging branch (about 6 ft off the ground) in a dense white mulberry tree.
I was ...
Dove Panicked Protecting Babies
I have learned so much about my doves here from all your wonderful stories! All the other sites just tell about incubation and nesting times.
My story ...
So Sad, Lost Both Babies
As I write this I am sitting here crying. My grown daughter says that is silly, that it's only nature, but I just can't help it.
Would like to know ...
New Life On Top Floor
Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful way to start a day. We have a baby dove. Birth at 9:10a.m. Dallas Time and my friend and I were watching.
The mother ...
A Dove Story
We have lived in our house going on 11 years. Every Spring the Doves nest in one of my hanging pots just a few feet off my back porch. I call this a ...
Mourning Dove Lands On My Shoulder
I was outside on my deck one morning and a bird landed right beside me. I put out my hand and he climbed on it.
After a few minutes I put him back ...
Penny and Benny
Penny and Benny
I observed a pair of mourning doves hanging out on the fire escape across the way from my 6th floor apartment in Greenwich ...
Mourning Doves On Deck
We had two babies nestled in the bend of the tree in our back yard. Finally, they were old enough to fly.
However, they do find their own food and ...
Visitation
I buried my mother yesterday. She and My dad mated for life, and she loved him so much and grieved so for him when he died.
I have been taking care ...
Mommas Babies
I was watering my plants one evening and was startled by a big plump dove snugly tucked in my hanging flowerpot.
To an even bigger amazement of mine,...
Mourning Doves nesting on my 3rd floor balcony
I had just gotten home from house sitting for a few days and noticed some stuff laying on my chairs on my balcony, I figured I would clean it off in the ...
Cob-web duster nest
I hung a web duster on the iron grate of my bedroom window last year. One day when I grabbed it there was a sudden movement in the top so I quickly let ...
Watering Plants When Nesting In Plants
Question: Should I water the hanging plant????
Mourning Doves nested in a hanging plant that hangs a couple of feet from the window in our den. We ...
Dove Nesting in Unusual Area
Well I'm 15, pretty much a youngin' and not very aware of how bird watching works. I have a lamp that hangs outside my front porch from the ceiling roof ...
Patio Nesting Doves
Recent high winds blew part of our patio cover off.
We have had mourning doves in our yard in the past but they never nested where we could see them....
Doves At Top Floor
Just got back from being out of town and first thing I notice was that my plants were suffering from lack of water.
I live on the top floor of my complex ...
Doves On light Outside Door
Two Doves began making a nest over a month ago on my light outside my front door.
I went away for 5 days and when I returned found no one sitting on ...
Doves Nesting In Garage
We had noticed some activity of doves flying in and out of our garage. We had closed the garage door and then when we reopend it our dove became very ...
Mourning Doves On My Porch
For the last two years my family and I have had a family of mourning doves nesting in a hanging plant on my front porch.
My husband, kids and I enjoy ...
Found Dove In Hanging Plant
I don't know who was more startled, me or the dove. I went to water my plants one day and watered the dove, who flew away quite upset with me.
I left ...
Dove Nesting On Light Fixture
I have a Mourning Dove nesting in my hanging light fixture on my back porch. She has been nesting for a couple of weeks and her babies are ready to hatch....
Doves In Patio Covering
I love this site! Thank you. I am a huge bird-lover (cat and dog lover, too). Have 2 humming bird hangers in our small'ish Irvine, CA backyard.
I ...
Doves In Porch Plant Hanger
This dove is nesting on my front porch side wall.People are walking very close to that hanging planter and she (he)are OK with that. One small problem ...
Nestlings Survive Alone?
So about a couple weeeks ago, a little bird decided to lay her eggs in one of my hanging baskets.
The bird that was nesting this morning seems to had ...
Doves Wooden Cat Planter
I have had three sets of nesting doves so far this season. The first brood was successful in my wooden cat planter.(Ironic)
The little ones matured ...
Doves Nest Year After Year
Mourning Doves Nest Year After Year Atop Our Automatic Garage Door Opener
Since 2003 we have had pairs of Mourning Doves nesting atop the motor for ...
Blessed With Dove Nesting
How great to have found your website with all that wonderful information. I, too, was worried that the same bird would starve since I thought it was always ...
Doves in my Basil
A few days ago I was watering my plants and have a double hanging basket with basil on top and begonias on bottom.
I thought I saw a funny looking piece ...
Mourning Dove in my Candle
Hello,
My Name is Jayson and I am 8 years old and I have discovered I have a Morning Dove sitting in my moms candle on my back porch.
I have been calling ...
Doves On Skinny Ledge
To my surprise I have a couple of doves nesting on a very slim ledge on top of one of the tall pillars that stands by our front door.
There is hardly ...
Satellite Nesting Doves
First time I noticed a pair of doves nesting is when the picture on the tv was going on and off.
I went upstairs looked out of the bedroom window, and ...
Dove on Garage Door Opener.
LoveyDovey built her nest about 2 weeks ago on our door opener. We are pretty sure her mate (found a dead dove in the yard) was killed in a hail storm ...
Doves On Light Fixture.
Three or four years ago two doves nested on the light fixture on my second floor balcony. Fascinating, watching them take turns minding the nest.
My ...
Dove Nesting On Ladder.
One day I went out into the backyard to find a bunch of twigs and sticks on my ladder.
At first I thought it was kind of funny but figured what the ...
Doves Nested Then Abandoned
We have a hanging planter on our front porch and noticed a dove sitting on her eggs when my husband went to sit on our front porch.
The dove and her ...
Picture of nesting mourning dove
I have had a Mourning Dove nesting in my flower box for a week. I put food and water out. It let's me get pretty close to it.
My Babies
My stepdad is a maintence man at a large condo home structure. He had called my mom and told her about these two baby Mourning Doves. They were in the ...
Unbreakable Bond
The love of a mourning dove.
I was startled by a loud thump this afternoon to find that a dove rammed into my front door.
Sadly, she was injured....
Doves Decorating Patio Entertaining Grandchildren
A little over a year ago we noticed a pair "checking out" a little nook in our patio, on top of a 4X6.
Soon they were busy building a nest. It seemed ...
In My Hanging Plant
Yesterday, I noticed a dove nesting in my hanging plant, which hangs from the eave of my ramada, or outdoor patio.
Unfortunately, one of my cats noticed ...
Doves Nesting In Plant Container
I was wondering for a few days why every time I opened the front door a dove would fly away...Then I discovered that they had built a nest in where I had ...
Doves Nesting On Patio Ceiling Fan
We live in Florida. Our back patio and yard face a small pond.
Wildlife are always plentiful by the pond, especially mornings. We regularly see Herons,...
Arrival Of The Doves
Not really much of a 'story'. One day in early March as I sit and watch tv, I hear that warm-feeling sound.
I think, it can't be, they're too early,...
Dove in Pecan Tree
I have an upstairs art studio where I often work in a corner of two sliding glass doors.
My dove is nesting literally just an arm's length from there ...
Mourning Doves Nesting on my Window Sill
A few years ago, I noticed 2 mourning doves trying to build a nest on my brick bedroom window sill.
The female would stand on the slanted sill and wait ...
Morning Doves Nesting In My Hanging Plants.
I found doves nesting at my house. I came across them when watering my hanging plants that hang well above the ground but just off of my front entrance ...
Front Door Nest
A pair of doves built a nest on the wreath which was hanging on our front door. We were not able to use our front door for weeks, while we waited.
They ...
Mouring Doves At My Window.
I have a sad story to tell.
We put siding on our house. The workers took down our window boxes because they were old and falling down.
I knew the ...
Mixed Up Dove
My wife has a way with domestic and wild animals that is almost unbelievable. One day she decided to raise some chickens, actually laying hens, for the ...
The baby that flew before he could fly
This past weekend my husband and I decided to cut down a very large locust tree in our front yard. When my husband climbed the tree to examine the cutting ...
Father Dove Abandon Baby Doves
Hi, The mourning dove nest is above my porch.
This morning daddy dove got spooked by my husband shaking a table cloth!
Two baby doves have been alone ...
The Twins
Not rated yet
The twin morning doves were born in a nest over my Grandma's little barn. They made their nest on top of a big grape vine wreath.
This is the second ...
Doves Giving Me An Education!
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We came back from a vacation, and was catching up on the yard watering when we discovered a dove nesting in one of our wall mount planters.
We watched ...
Doves Take Over Manhattan Air Conditioner
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Our NYC apartment looks out on a beautiful, green area that comprises the backyards of a dozen homes. It is rich with bird life.
A few days ago we ...
Doves Nesting on our Patio Ceiling Fan
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A couple of months ago my husband and I were startled from a bird flying from our patio ceiling fan after we had turned on the light the fans came on and ...
Benny and Penny Starting New Family
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After the two squabs left the nest, one of them hung around nearby for about a week on the fire escape of my apartment (opposite the nest next to the flowerpot)...
More Babies!
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Hi - the first set of babies flew away in about a week's time. We coudn't see them at first and then started seeing feathers underneath the parents. The ...
Doves Nesting On My TV
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Great story goes on. A couple of months ago my roommate told me of a dove nesting in our patio where we have an outside TV mounted near the ceiling.
I ...
Doves Babies Still in Fake Palm Tree
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On June 5 I wrote telling about my story of mom and dad making nest in our fake palm tree. She had babies about 2 weeks ago.
They have grown so quickly ...
Third Set Of Nesting Doves
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We had a store bought nest under the covered part of our deck and it has been there since we bought the house - about 6 years ago.
Just this year we ...
Baby Doves Different Directions
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I am the lady in Tucson Az that wrote the story about How my Male Dove protected his 2 babies, I wrote back and added they were back nesting for the 2nd ...
Dove Nesting in Palm Trunk
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A year and half ago we moved into a new home. We have a medium size palm tree near our pool and directly next to our path to the barn.
Last year I noticed ...
Doves Nesting In Patio Umbrella
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For the past 7 years, we have had a pair of doves nesting in our back yard. They started out making their nests in a potted ficus tree by our back door....
Doves Nesting In Orchid Pot
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This nest is in an orchid pot just outside our dining room window, in front of our front door. The doves don't seem to be disturbed by our coming and ...
Ivy Plant Take-Over
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My husband had no more than hung his favorite ivy plant on the porch which is protected from the rain when a mourning dove sat right down in it.
Her ...
Dove Nesting On Rainspout
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I am not sure if it is the same doves every year but .....they nest where the rainspout meets the wall.
About 8 - 10 feet high. 2 babies 3 - 5 times ...
Doves Nesting in Ceiling Fan on Patio
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About 3 weeks ago, we noticed a bird nest and bird inside the top part of our ceiling fan. We weren't not sure what type of bird it was.
Searching ...
Great Experience
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Just read with interest the facts re: morning doves sitting on the nest. I have a nest in my Honey Suckle vine attached to my small patio.
It seemed ...
Doves Begin Third Nesting
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We have a tall shrub right outside our family room window and we have had a great Spring season watching our set of mourning doves. I have 2 daughters ...
Dive Bombing Dove
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My friend and neighbour up the road has an evergreen in her front yard close to the house. One morning her husband was doing some gardening around the ...
Destroyed Nest
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I had a pair that nested on my patio. I have a column on my patio that has about an 18" ledge.
The pair quite happy in their home but, last night I ...
Doves in Basket by Front Door
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Hanging right by my front door, next to a railing, and I have 2 cats. One was sleeping in her bed right under the basket, with the mourning dove sitting ...
First time with nesting doves
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I was so excited to find this site yesterday and hear the great stories.
We have a pair of doves nesting on a pillar on our front porch. It's been fun ...
Our Garage Nesting Doves
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One day I noticed a bird in our garage. I didn't think much of it because our garage is always open except at night.
One day my son noticed a nest ...
Doves Nesting In Fern Plant
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I noticed the nest a couple of weeks ago when I went to water my fern. Its at eye level, and easily seen.
I watched them everyday. They would switch ...
Dove Injured On Shepherds Hook
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I have a shepherds hook for bird feeders with two hooks of differing heights.
I noticed something odd hanging from the feeder pole and it was a mourning ...
An Unusual Male Dove
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Since Feb of this year (2008) there is a male dove that frequents my yard daily (he has a special pink birth mark on his neck and that is how I know it ...
I Named Her Sweetness
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One day I was watering the topiaries on my front patio when all of a sudden I noticed that there was a mourning dove nestling in my lion's head wall fountain!...
One Remaining Dove
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I have been thrilled to observe a pair of doves building a nest in a blue spruce about ten feet away from my deck. They started incubating yesterday.
This ...
UPPER DUPLEX
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Last year a robin built a nest adjacent to my front door.It had eave support and roof protection.
It was a neat little abode which was abandoned once ...
Help! They're sitting in my strawberries!
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After returning from a weekend trip, mourning doves have moved into my hanging strawberry basket on my back deck.
I can't see any eggs, nor evidence ...
Mourning Dove Nesting In My Empty Flower Pot
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About two weeks ago I discovered a Dove sitting in an empty flower pot on my patio. I feel so excited and blessed that I get to witness this beautiful ...
Doves On 4 Inch Beam
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We have a pair of very devoted doves sharing our porch and driveway/garage corner.
We had finches with 4 eggs in one corner and the doves right over ...
Robin Eggs In Dove Nest
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The nest was constructed by a Robin. Once complete, day one of laying eggs, the Robin laid one.
Day two the dove was in the nest forcing the Robin to ...
Doves Returning Every Year.
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The first time they nested in my hanging basket, it was a shock to us both when I started to water the plant.
I just let the plant die that year because ...
Mourning Dove In My Lamp!
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Every year, it seems I have some sort of bird nest where I really don't want it, ferns, plants, my exhaust pipes,...here is a pic of the newest one....on ...
Doves In Abandoned Flower Pot
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I live in Hazelwood. MO, just north of St. Louis. I own a small condo with an enclosed backyard.
I have 3 cats, 2 of which love to go out in the back ...
Doves Nesting On Patio Bar
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We had the great experience of watching Mourning Doves build a nest on top of our covered-patio bar.
We talked to them gently from day one and they ...
Doves Nest In Rain Gutter
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When we built our house, we included a covered porch in the back into which a gutter from the roof of our house enters about 3 feet.
The doves have ...
Mourning Doves in Door Wreath
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We have a dried flower and wheat wreath on our front door in which we have discovered a nesting pair of doves.
When one of the doves is in the nest,...
Morning Dove White Fronted Dove.
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I awoke this morning, opened my blinds, and there in my balcony box between my arugula and cilantro, was a beautiful black spotted brown Dove. Not wanting ...
Dove Nest On Bath Window
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After we finish our showers in the morning we leave the window open for ventilation.
One morning we heard the doves, which usually hang around near ...
Baby Hatchling In Pond Waterfall
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We found this Mom? Dad? nesting in our waterfall of our pond. We didnt have the heart to turn on the waterfall.
Today we found at least one baby and ...
Doves Force Robins Out
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I had a plastic hanging pot that had soil in it from last summer. When the plant was finished, I pulled it and inserted bright colored silk flowers.
This ...
Doves In Grapevine Wreath
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On our main door to come into the house I have a large grapevine wreath with flowers around it.
I walked by it 2 days ago and a mourning dove flew out ...
Windowsill Mourning Doves
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Mourning Doves are nesting on my windowsill beside the front door. The windowsill is lined with pinecones in order to deter the cat from jumping up and ...
Doves Nesting In Eaves
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We have a pair of doves that have set up a nest in the eaves. It is so soothing to hear them coo.
They are both the same coloring with the familiar ...
Mourning Doves On My Porch
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I nailed a plastic potted plant tray to my porch wooden balcony wall and I put out seed each day. Black-eyed junkos, sparrows and, to my delight, two pairs ...
Statue nest
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Nest is a week old...
Comment By:
pw
Woodbridge, VA USA
We have a family of Morning Doves, they actually take turns nesting each other's eggs....
Doves Cans Survive
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We had a garage door put up in front of our house and the garage is open in the back where I can go in an out to do my wash or get supplies as we need ...
Doves Nesting on a Fence
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We,ve always seen and heard mourning doves in our yard on Staten Island, New York, where we,ve lived for 34 years.
About two weeks ago we noticed one ...
Mourning Dove Nesting In My Impatients
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A week ago, after finishing a spruce up of my front porch, I purchased 2 hanging Impatient plants and put them out.
After 4 days, I went to water them ...
Third Time's a Charm
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My husband thinks I'm strange because I'm always rescuing something -- stray cats, turtles in the road, toads, lost dogs, etc.
Now, I'm helping birds!...
Visitors Welcome!
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My newest neighbors live outside of my bedroom window on my balcony. They are nesting in a flower pot filled with dirt.
I welcome them but my condo ...
Doves - Nesting on my ladder
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I painted my dinning and kitchen Monday April 7th, and put the ladder outside in the patio (forgetting to place back in the garage).
Two days later ...
Mourning Doves on My Balcony
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First discovered Friday, April 11th (one egg). A second egg could be seen on Saturday, April 12th during the afternoon "change of guard".
I've witnessed ...
Doves on Two Story Column
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For the second year in a row the doves have nested on top of one of our front porch columns.
This year the mother must have met with a predator since ...
Nesting Mourning Dove (Male)
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Found Dove had made a nest on my shelving unit on my front porch. Later found there was (1) one egg in nest, (now there are (2) two).
I was worried ...
Mouring Doves In Balcony Plant
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I was watering my balcony plants about two weeks ago when a bird revved up from one of my palm plants.
It startled me, as the bird passed very close ...
Doves In Hanging Basket
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"Our" doves hatched yesterday!
It was exciting to watch the two baby doves pecking at each other and at their mother - or dad - whichever one was on ...
Doves Nesting In Breezeway Planter
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April 11th, 2008
Hi Ya'll,
My wife thought this set of doves were a fake bird that I had placed in the planter.
It was really funny when we found ...
Lovey's Nest On Gazebo
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One day in very late March, I was out on the deck and noticed that some brush had blown up and gotten stuck in the cross pieces of the gazebo.
The next ...
Our Family Of Doves
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One day last spring I notices a nest in one of my potted plants that is on my balcony.
I decided to leave the nest there not knowing at the thime whether ...
Happy Spring!
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I begun to hear the peaceful hum of mourning doves in early March. But, it wasn't until Easter morning when I decided to pop open the windows for the first ...
Windowsill Dove Nesting
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My story starts about 18 years ago, when my daughter was 8 years old.
One day in April we heard a woo coming from outside her window. When we looked,...
Doves Nesting In My Schefflera On Balcony
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I have a Schefflera plant on my third story balcony. I go out there frequently to water my plants.
The other day I noticed a nest in my plant but no ...
When Me And Birds Cross Paths
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I had Killdeer, Blue Jays, Crows, and Mourning doves nest all around my home.
The sad thing is all of them were either hurt or abandoned. Every-time ...
Mourning Dove Using Robin Nest Several Years
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We moved into our home 3 years ago in April(0'5) and on top of a window ledge were some Robins nesting.
When they left the nest we never climbed up ...
Update on Astro Nut
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It is now Tuesday September 11, 2007 and I have good news for the ending of my story on Astro Nut, The baby that flew before he could fly.
He flew across ...
