Mourning Dove Babies, Again (Pics)

Leopardess

Everything's eventual.
Aug 13, 2003
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New Hampshire Seacoast Area
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I can't seem to find my old post about my mourning doves...but I'll just start a new one for an update:)

So, right now, on my balcony, I have a mourning dove with her last 2 babies of the year. This pair comes ever year and lays 2 eggs in one of my flowering hanging baskets in early to midsummer, and another 2 eggs in late summer, with a month and a half or so of rest in between. This is the third year they've been doing this. It's really neat getting to see them hatch and learn to fly and whatnot. Also, because I don't want my plants to die (like I let them the first year), I continue to water them. This means that I get about 3" from their faces every day...and they've grown accustomed to it. She (mother) lets me stick the nozzle right up under her butt, basically (well, not so that she gets wet) to water the plants. I get a good view everyday of how they are growing.

I just looked through my pictures, and I have a picture of the first batch of this year's babies newly hatched, on the 15th of June....here it is...you can see how "ugly" they are!

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This is a picture I just now took - it looks as though the babies will be getting a lesson in flying very soon!:D That's the mother's head to the right and the second baby was wedged between them where you couldn't see very well. (These are the second set, not the same as the first picture...)

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Just thought I'd share. I think it's pretty neat!:)
 
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My babies just flew away. It was really cute to watch them figure it out and all. We were standing right up at the door, so we got a good look. I'm not sure why they didn't wait until tomorrow, though....it's really pouring outside! The mom is busy chasing a bluejay around the yard at the moment; probably doesn't want it messing with her newly independent babies!

It's kind of sad (I'm a geek, I know). I won't see any more until next summer:( Now who will I look at every morning to see how big they're getting? Sigh...
 
O gosh that is so cool! My hubby and I had mourning doves that had babies in the yard. We cancelled the lawn service and watched over them. Well, we had them three days and then the fire ants got to them. I had just checked them 20 mins before and they were fine! Grrr! We were so upset! The mother looked for her babies for days and then gave up. I know she thought we hurt them....

I had deicided to kill the ants and bury the babies so the mother did not get into the the ants. Fire ants are really bad here (Houston) and are responsible for the extinction or endangerment of many species inc the horned toad. I think the birds were desperate to have the babies somewhere and so had them right in the middle of the lawn. There are so few places the ants don't get.
 
Or the little boys who don't understand....

My neighbors kid shot a moarning dove sitting on a nest many many years ago leaving the baby and only one parent... unfortunately, with only one parent, it wasn't long until the crows got the poor little guys.

Leopardess, as always, beautiful pics! Glad to hear these guys made it to flight :)
 
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we had some too, me and my dad were chatting by the garage and all ofa sudden this dove flutters out of a tree next to us real slow and just goes head first right into the wall of the garage and falls to the ground LOL it was so random but it was ok and is full grown now
 
all ofa sudden this dove flutters out of a tree next to us real slow and just goes head first right into the wall of the garage and falls to the ground LOL it was so random

haha, it's random things like that that make life worth living!

Very cool, leopardess!
 
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