Love nest

by Kathy Devitt
(Little Egg Harbor, NJ)

A pair of mourning doves has set up residence on top of a heart shaped hanging basket on our front porch.

Last year they started building a nest in there but got spooked and never came back, I would see them around the yard though. But this Spring, they came back and built a nice little nest and laid their eggs in it.

We come and go from our house right from the porch next to their nest, but they don't seem to be too bothered by us.

So far this spring, they hatched one pair of baby doves successfully.

It has been so exciting and interesting to watch the whole process. The day the babies hatched I saw them stretching their little heads up with their beaks wide open like you would see in a picture book, so cute!

Right after they hatched, some squirrels discovered them. I caught the squirrels climbing up the screen of the window to get to the nest, I went out there and the squirrel was tugging on the hanging basket but I scared it away!

The mother bird flew away while this was happening. I peaked in and saw that the babies were okay. I was so worried that the mother wouldn't come back, but she did after a couple hours.

My husband thought to remove the screen out of the window and now the squirrels can't climb up there anymore.

The baby doves grew up so fast! 2 weeks later I saw them fly away, one right after the other.

One parent flew to the grass a few feet away and called to them, one flew to him first, then the second one took a few minutes flapping his wings and getting up the courage and then flew off too.

I didn't see the birds for almost a week after that, I thought that was the end of it. But today they are back, and now incubating a second brood!