Doves Nesting In Orchid Pot

by Pat Carlson
(Satellite Beach, Florida)

Doves in Basket by Front Door

by Karen
(Livermore, CA, USA)

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 on her eggs.

Now that the eggs have hatched, I'm trying to keep the cats in!

Mourning Dove in my Hosta garden

by Levi H.
(Fredericksburg , VA)

I have been noticing this one mourning dove hanging around my house a lot recently. Then I found that it is staying in my Hosta garden right off my front porch.

I have not found a nest for this one yet, but I have noticed that there is a male and female pair. So babies should be coming very soon.

The one bird that hangs around the most is very docile. It has let me get within inches of it, so I got some very good pictures along with this.

I think the one that stays around is the female because it has gotten very plump, hopefully with eggs, and she is much smaller than the other.

Well that's all for now, I will put more updates on this pair as soon as I get them.

Mourning Dove in my Hosta garden

by Levi H.
(Fredericksburg , VA)

I have been noticing this one mourning dove hanging around my house a lot recently. Then I found that it is staying in my Hosta garden right off my front porch.

I have not found a nest for this one yet, but I have noticed that there is a male and female pair. So babies should be coming very soon.

The one bird that hangs around the most is very docile. It has let me get within inches of it, so I got some very good pictures along with this.

I think the one that stays around is the female because it has gotten very plump, hopefully with eggs, and she is much smaller than the other.

Well that's all for now, I will put more updates on this pair as soon as I get them.

Dove nesting during Hurricane Irene

by Patricia Bodnar
(Wilmington NC)

We have a nesting dove with one hatched egg and one soon to be hatched.

She was in our railing box for 2 weeks, however, hurricane Irene was hitting tonight, so we moved the box back to the corner of the porch where it would be protected.

She flew off, but did return to the nest-she is still there and the wind and rain is very strong. You can see her brown head and eye through the foliage.

She did let me water every evening for two weeks, so I was hoping she wouldn't abandon the nest when it was moved.

Hopefully, tomorrow morning the other egg will be hatched.

Doves nesting in hanging flower pot

by Danna
(Medford, OR Jackson)

I was watering my hanging flower pot last week and didn't notice there was a dove sitting in the pot until I had completely soaked the plant and the bird!

Once I noticed it was there, I was surprised it hadn't flown off and was concerned it was ill. I had my husband check it out, (he's large) and the bird got frightened and flew away. At least then I knew the dove was healthy.

I researched the nesting/habits of doves on-line to know what to expect.

I am really enjoying watching this process; they're such sweet, peaceful birds.

Outside My Front Door

by Jean
(Wisconsin)

A pair of doves commandeered my petunia basket before I planted this year's wave petunias. They are sharing incubating the two eggs. We've watched the shift change several times.

One bird on the nest is joined by the other, then the first leaves.

We await the hatching of the 2 young ones.

Interestingly, they never built a nest, just laid their eggs in the hanging basket!

Rhododendron Dove Nest

by Lucy Elias
(Madison CT, USA)

A Mourning Dove has been nesting in out Rhododendron bush for four days. We discovered her when we heard a blue jay bothering her.

She is not intimidated by us at all even when stand at the bush and look through the leaves to see her. Today I can see the small wing of her first young dove born.

Doves in Hanging Plant

by Bonnie
(Bedford, TX)

I noticed a mourning dove in my hanging planter a while back but did not pay any attention to it - just thought it was finding something to eat. The basket hangs from the eave of my sunroom and is fairly well shaded. Well I now know it was building a nest in the basket.

Yesterday morning I was out there and the dove was sitting in the planter again and to my astonishment, there were two baby dove. Mama sat for quite a while but left and was gone a long time - I checked later at night and she still wasn't back, leaving those poor babies on their own. I was afraid maybe I had scared her off. However, this morning she was back and has been there most of the morning.

Does anyone know how old they are before they try to fly - they are only about 6 inches long right now but they do have feathers, eyes open and seem to be moving around.

Mama sometimes sits on top of them. She had one wing held out over them and I guess she was protecting them from the sun. Sometimes she perches on the side of the basket and I assume she is feeding them then.

This is the first time I have had nesting dove and so know very little about them and would appreciate any information anyone can give me. I hope they come back every year. This has been an incredible experience.

I hope I get to see them fly away. I have posted pictures of the two babies - aren't they precious.

Hounds Alert Us To Dove Nest

by Carol
(Commack, NY)

Our 3 Coonhounds, all rescued, alerted us to a Mourning Dove nest in our backyard. We live on Long Island, New York.

I looked up in a tree, not too high and saw the Dove. The nest looks so small. I took several pictures. My dogs are not howling near her anymore.

Guess they got used to her being here. I went back out toward evening and could swear there was another Dove there!

I just went online to find this is true. The male and female both sit on the eggs. How great to see they share this wonderful event.

It was interesting to read about them. We will be looking for the young ones soon.

Here is my picture.

Carol

Two Chicks and an Egg

by Janice Jessup
(Virginia Beach, Va)

This is the second season for my Mourning Doves here on my front porch in the hanging basket. The doves started coming to the basket at the end of January but no eggs for some time. We had quite a cold and snowy winter here in Virginia Beach!!

One day I climbed my ladder to peer into the basket only to see a single egg. Soon after Mama was always in the nest so expected that she was incubating but that lasted way too long!

Yesterday, I got the ladder out and found 2 young chicks and an egg. I expect the chicks will fledge in about a week, but what is that lonely egg doing there??

All sorts of questions arise; such as, is this the first lonely egg that is no longer viable or is this the beginning of a new clutch? What are your thoughts??

Third Set Of Nesting Doves

by Sandra
(CA )

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 noticed doves sitting in it and adding nesting material. They proceeded to do shift change approximately every 12 hours and lo and behold we saw babies about 4 weeks later.

They grew and flew and as soon as they left the parents were preening and mating again.

The sat on a second set of eggs and brought them to full size and they grew and flew. The second set hung around our garden area for at least 2 weeks.

Again the parents preened and mated almost immediately and are sitting again - third time.

It's great to watch.

Returning Dove Couple

by Janice Jessup
(Virginia Beach, Va)

It was just a few weeks ago on a frigid winter's day when I noticed my dove couple on the rim of the hanging basket at my front porch. The basket has been there since last summer when they last had their 3rd brood.

They appear at the basket every morning and then disappear for the remainder of the day. This evening I peered into the basket, sadly no eggs. They have started to line the basket with pine needles so expect they will occupy when the eggs are laid.

Doves in Perennial Flower Pot

by Leonor
(Bloomfield, New Jersey)

Was doing some spring cleaning in one of my garden areas, busy raking, clipping dead branches, etc. when suddenly I happen to look above my head to a pot hanging on my fence.

I was taken aback by Miss Mourning Dove nesting in an old perennial pot, just sitting and looking at me as if to say "you are disturbing me" !!

So I proceeded to back away and give her space. She hindered my progress in the cleaning up because I did not want to alarm her...so I finished up that area and left her alone.

I placed some bird seed in a birdbath nearby with a little water and I just hope the squirrels and other critters don't eat it first!!

A Nest within a Nest

by Tom Carter
(Franklin, TN)

Imagine our surprise and delight when a nest appeared along with two eggs in a hanging basket on the front porch of my shop!

They never leave and seem to appreciate the seed and water placed in the basket close to the nest. They are not timid or skittish and even let us pet them very gently on the back a bit.

I have a remote camera set up connected via our web and we watch on camera the nest via our computer.

It is absolutely fascinating!

These babies are one week old. They were hatched the size of my thumbnail.

This week the feathers are evident and mama & dad are busy feeding their growing children.

Dad seems a bit uninterested but does come in the late afternoons to give mama a break.

Mother Has Left The Nest

by Janie
(Panama City, FL)

They are in a planter on my patio. I go out each morning and I talk to her because this is the closest I have ever been to one. I think I may done the wrong thing.

The babies are no bigger but she left yesterday and has not returned. Do I need to feed them or what should I do? I can't let them die.

They are pretty big so I thought maybe she had left to give them a chance to fly.

New York City Doves

by Mark
(New York City)

I live in New York City on the Upper Westside and I have a nest on a very narrow ledge at my bedroom window.

I have counted at least three nestlings. My cat likes to sit in the window and watch so I have put up a board up on the lower half of the window so she cannot sit there because I am afraid she will scare them.

I worry about them falling off the ledge when they get bigger but at this point, I cannot do anything because it might cause nest abandonment.

Baby Dove Abandoned By Parents

by Terri Steele

We have a two mourning doves (Mr and Mrs Dovely) that have layed 4 sets of eggs in our flower box on our deck.

This time the baby dove fell out of the box onto our deck. The mother sat with it for a few hours and then flew off.

I picked up the baby with gloves and put him into a larger flower box on the deck since he was to big for for nest he was born in.

It has been 24hrs and neither parent has returned. What can I feed the baby dove if the mother/father does not return?

Dove In Fake Flower Pot

by Melanie
(Fresno, CA)

Here is a photo of our mama dove which made a nest in our planter. The doves have been there for ten days.

She is very cute and is getting used to us very quick. We expect to have baby's in about 5 to 7 days.

I cant wait.

Two Days Before First Flight

by Barbi
(Irving, TX)

I have a nest that always seems to be occupied. The nest is on my balcony where it is pretty quiet and easy for the birds to get to.

I just love watching the activity going on. I watch the "changing of the guard" in the evenings around 7:00 pm.

I get a little sad knowing I will wake up and see that the babies have flown the coop during
the nighttime.

I have attached a photo taken 2 days before they left their nest. It is magnified several times over to get a little closer.