Happy Ending? Hope So

On my last blog I posted an update about the mourning doves that were coming around. Now I can tell the full story.

We had a couple weeks of some miserable weather and I suppose that in itself kept the doves away. About a week into April, there she was, sitting on the nest with her mate nowhere in sight. At this point either he'd stopped coming around having considered his duty done, or he was around just after dawn to bring her some breakfast. The nest is only about six feet from my window, but I always use a small pair of binoculars to get a good look at what's going on.

For about two weeks, maybe a bit longer, Mrs. Dove sat on that nest, only occasionally turning around. Sometimes she was so still, I couldn't be sure if she was still alive. I have to give her high marks for courage because during this time the weather was terrible. There were frequent rain storms and gusty winds. I felt so bad for everything she had to endure. After all, there was nothing around to protect her from the elements. No blossoms, no leaves. It was still too cold in spite of being able to see emerging buds on the branches. I was rooting for her to hang in there. At this point, I hadn't seen anything of Dad and wondered if perhaps something had happened to him. We do have crows in the neighborhood and the occasional hawk. Sea gulls are in permanent residence.

Every day, several times a day, I got out my trusty little binoculars and checked on the nest. At times Mom was so still I was afraid she'd given up, and I'd be saying, almost whispering, "Blink your eyes so I know you're okay." I think she knew I was watching her. She always seemed to look up and she would blink. Mourning doves have pretty eyes. That might sound strange but it's the best way I can describe it.

A day or two after Easter there it was. Mama moved just right so as to let me catch a glimpse of her new little one. In seconds she had it tucked back under her breast feathers to keep it warm and safe. It was at least another week before I actually saw her feeding the little one. Hungry? I thought junior was going to shove his beak down Mama's throat. (I know that's what they do to get an ABC meal but it seems so rough.)

The chick grew fast. Its feathers were darker than Mom's and fluffier. It didn't take long for junior to learn how to preen his feathers and even a couple times took to picking at Mom's feathers. At least that's how it looked. Last week the buds on the tree finally burst with pink blossoms. The bees came around and busied themselves with the highest blossoms and stayed away from the nest. By the end of the day, with the chick well-hidden again, Mom would have a few petals stuck to her back, looking a bit speckled.

For a few days, junior spent part of the afternoon sitting beside Mom, taking in his surroundings. Granted, there isn't much to see in the courtyard but it was a new world to him. The blossoms had already begun to cut off part of the view to the nest. It wouldn't be long before the tree would be leafing out and the nest would be lost to human sight. Early Monday afternoon, Mom fed her offspring then took off. She didn't come back. The night temp dropped into the forties as it has been lately and junior was all alone. Maybe she came back early in the morning to feed him and took off again, trying to teach him some independence. I only know she didn't come back to the nest to sit.

Yesterday, junior sat on the edge of the nest, feathers all puffed out, looking soft and plump. He even dared to leave his home, to sit on a nearby branch. He fluttered his wings quite a bit, making him look more like a miniature bird of prey. It was amusing, and a step in the right direction. It was really gusty later in the afternoon and he huddled back in the nest against the wind. The branch swayed almost in a menacing way. It appeared to be quite the challenge to stay put. He spent another night alone.

About 5:30 this morning a pair of mourning doves sat on the wall that separates the courtyard from the front drive. I wanted to check the nest again but it was still on the dark side. I had to wait a couple more hours to have sufficient light. In the meantime I went back to bed. When I got up later to take a look, the nest was empty. I checked the surrounding branches to see if maybe junior had built up a little courage to move a bit away from his first home. The leaves on the tree aren't very big yet but are a distinct disadvantage. The mourning doves on the wall were also gone.

The pair of adults have come back several times today and I hope it's not a bad omen. I hope it doesn't mean that junior has fallen victim  to some happenstance, after all Mom's nurturing and protection. I'd like to think he's learning more about caring for himself and what lies in store for him. That would be hard to do from a nest.

This has been a new experience for me and one I won't soon forget. It puts me in mind of what the Grand Creator has given us on this planet and our responsibility to care for it. Are we up to it? I hope so.