The baby that flew before he could fly

by Teri Cayton
(Elkins, WV United States)

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 sequence, he noticed a nest.

The adult mourning dove was on the nest with 2 small babies. The bird did not fly away all the time my husband was in the tree.

We decided we would leave the branch with the bird until the babies flew away. We were being very careful and the birds did not seem to mind us being in the tree cutting around them.

I have read that the adult birds will abandon the nest if they feel threatened but this was not the case. They would fly away and then come back.

When we got close to the nest to cut, I would cover the babies with a hankie to keep the sawdust off them. We were doing great, and then the worst thing happened.

The rope broke on a very large limb, and fell the wrong way.

It brought half the tree down with it, along with the nest. We searched and found the babies, only one made it. I buried the little bird that died, and we moved the other over under a shrub, so he would not get stepped on. All that day we coutinued to work on the tree.

The adult birds kept coming back looking for the tree and could not find it. I felt terrible, but the deed was done. I worried so about the baby.

That evening when we were done the parent birds were sitting on a wire across from the yard. I was so worried about the baby because I did not think the doves would come and roost on the ground with it.

I came in to start dinner, and the next thing I know here comes my big strong husband with this baby bird cupped in his big hand. He asked if we had something to keep the baby in and I found a box.

We put it in our spare bathroom in the box with a light to keep it warm. My husband got ready for work the next morning and came out for breakfast. The first words out of his mouth were, "How is Astro Nut?" I laughed so hard I had to sit down.

I asked how he came up with that name and he said, "Well he flew through space yesterday, and didn't even know how to fly" Well Astro Nut is still doing fine after a week.

We bring him in every evening and put him in the box and take him out every morning. The parents are sitting on the wire across from the yard and as soon as I put him under the shrub they come down and start looking after him.

He has doubled in size already and I hope he can survive the neighborhood cats until he learns how to really fly like a bird. (No pun intended).

I will not be able to look at another mourning dove from now on that I will not think of Astro Nut.