Doves Nest Year After Year
by Elizabeth P
Mourning Doves Nest Year After Year Atop Our Automatic Garage Door OpenerSince 2003 we have had pairs of Mourning Doves nesting atop the motor for our automatic garage door opener in our garage. Each year we have approximately 3 batches of eggs (usually 2 eggs per batch) that our resident couple hatches. Our 2 and 5-year-old children name the parents and their hatchlings each and every time we have doves on the nest. We've had "Mad Eye Moody" who was a dove with one eye, "Howdy", "Cutie Pie" and "Flower" among others. Currently, "Rose Bud" and "Green Leaf" are hatching "Cutie Pie" and "Lover" - -names our 5-year-old chose for her Mourning Dove family. We leave the nest there year after year in hopes that more doves will come. They always do! In our yard in the Silicon Valley, we keep feeders with thistle and Finch feed which the doves eat off the ground. We also keep water in a bird fountain near the feeders. The main predators of our Mourning Doves are hawks. We have actually seen a hawk eating a dove on the small patio of our suburban home. We've also seen others chased by hawks into our garage where are doves have narrowly escaped.
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