Mourning Doves Fill the Air
Judging by the list of recent keywords below that have led people to my blog, mourning doves around the US are getting busy and moving into plenty of people's windows!
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Searches coming from servers in Canada, West Virginia, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and California! Way to go birds! : ) As to the actual length of their gestation period, Wikipedia seems to think it's 14-18 days.
posted by k_sra at 4/26/2007 09:28:00 AM
36 Comments:
We're in Washington DC. One clutch hatched, and there's now 2 more eggs (nest on our back patio). The juvies have already flown off. We're moving in a few weeks, hope these new ones hatch before then!
Add Cape Cod, Massachusetts to your list. I have a nesting dove on my deck who looks scared to death - and I don't blame her! The nest is right next to the slider going out, and the dog seems to be somewhat interested, although she has left the nest alone so far... The nest is high enough off of the ground so that the dog will not be able to get close enough...
We're in Minneapolis and ours just arrived a few days ago. First I saw her starting to build her nest, and then it was finished the next day. Now she is settled in rather well on our living room window sill. This morning I raised the blinds to close the window a bit because it looked like rain. I was half asleep and forgot all about her so she took off in shock. I saw a single tiny egg in the nest when she did. Luckily, she returned and we look forward to watching her new family thrive.
I have a dove nesting on my office fire escape in Manhattan. She laid two eggs but I've never noticed her leaving the nest. There's scaffolding covering the building and cloth covering the scaffolding so her spot is well-protected but I don't see how she gets water and food. She's been on the eggs for 2+ weeks. It's all very cute but a bit worrisome if she's not eating/drinking.
You don't have to worry about your dove not eating. The male and female doves take turns sitting on the eggs. If you were to watch them long enough you'd see them swapping over! I have a nest on my back porch (I live in California). Unfortunately the first nest wasn't built very well and the first egg fell off and broke. They started again and have now been sitting on an egg for 2 weeks, so I'm hoping it will hatch soon.
I came home the other day and found a bird nesting on my air conditioner...what do you know, it's a mourning dove! I believe it's only been 3-4 days that the eggs were laid. I'm going to take some pictures today. ~ Phila, PA
I have a Mourning Dove nest in my flower pot on my porch with two eggs - I haven't watered it for fear of killing the babies, so the plant is nearly dead. They've been incubating for nearly 3 weeks, are the babies dead? Would the adults know if they were and give up?
I awoke this morning in my NYC apartment to a flutter at the window.
Two doves were settled in a 8" planter. The male flew to the other sill to expose the newly laid egg. Mama dove has settled on the egg. Unfortunately, next week the building is installing new windows. I'm affraid there will not be enough time to incubate the egg. Any thoughts anyone?
The best I can come up with is to leave a note for the workemn asking them to take care of the nest if possible. There isn't time for the eggs to hatch or the hatchlings to fly away before next week. : (
Best of luck to you and the bird family.
Hello from St. George, UT! They're nesting on my front door wreath!! Discovered them too late. Our door opens IN! Have to send visitors around to the side gate.
I have mourning doves that made a nest inside my garage on top of the garage door opener. I live in Florida and feel terrible when we leave our house and have to close the garage door. I'm sure it gets pretty hot. Sometimes she gets scared and flies out when the door comes down. What a catch 22, I dont want her to cook while were gone or when she flies out, seperating her from her egg.
We are in Wisconsin and left a ladder in our back deck. A morning dove built a rather sparse nest overnight about 3 weeks ago and we have been going out the front door and around the house as to not disturb her. This morning my husband reported seeing her feeding a baby bird...we are thrilled...we have never seen this phenomena at such close range.
WE have doves nesting in a hanging plant on our deck. I took pictures, the eggs are perfect. I didn't realize the father also sits. I've seen him flying in, but I thought he was bringing food to mom. She laid the eggs on Mother's Day, and we're looking forward to seeing the babies.
We are in Arizona. We have a Dove in a tree to the side of our garage. She lost one baby last try. The baby fell out of the tree and got caught on a limb. We were so sad. Now she has laid another egg. It seems like she has been there for over 2 weeks. She was flying away when we were getting in our cars but she is now used to us and she stays. It has been extremely hot getting up to 110 for a couple of days. Then we had a storm and the temps got down to the 50's. We are concerned that the she is past the gestation period and something may be wrong. Is there a way to check and see how the egg is doing? Would she know to abandon the nest if something were to go wrong? Thank you.
I too was fearful that some thing was amis as my nesting doves sat tirelessly for close to 3 weeks. Here in Canada it has been a cold and very windy spring. When I went out to check on the flimsy nest in the grapevines momma was gone. Just as I turned in sadness, I saw 2 pairs of bright eyes looking back at me... all is well.
Can mourning doves relocate their babies on their own? We had some hatch on Monday of this week in our hanging basket. They were still there on Tuesday, but Wednesday mid-morning they were gone. We use the porch where the nest is a lot. The mom and dad didn't seem to mind this while incubating but seemed to have a different mood about it once the babies hatched. We are hoping they relocated the birds, but know that predators are also a possibility. Does anyone know if doves can move their young if they feel threatened?
Hi Anonymous, the internet seems to feel that baby pigeons are helpless in their nest for two weeks after hatching, so it sounds like there was fowl play. Sorry!
Does anyone know what is the longest to expect the eggs to hatch? We've had a cold spring - lots of rain - in Maine and she has been sitting there for at least 3 weeks - will they eventually give up?
The nest is made on the broom we store on the ladder on the deck - great fun to watch but getting concerned.
Andi said...
In California, we have a pair of doves outside in a hanging basket right by the back door. We have lots of kids in the pool and a dogs as well and the birds are not bothered in the least. I have been watering my plant as it is the only shade mama and daddy get. The crows are what scare me, there doesn't seem to be much protection. Any ideas?
I have a white Dove, who sings and laughs all day. i got a ringneck Dove to keep him company, but I found out they were two males! So I got another Dove ringneck (both brown) and now we are going to have a family ..two little eggs. It is the sweetest thing on earth to see their relationship and dedication to their eggs..would that people were so loving.
I've just come home and am shattered to see that the two hatchlings have fallen out of the nest to their deaths. The nesting area is on top of a column, under a portion of the roof that suspends over the column. Hope this gives you a good picture of their area. This has happened before and I suspect that our very strong winds are to blame -- or that the parants themselves have puched the kids out. I'd love to avoid this carnage throughout the season. Any suggestions -- a bird house; a shelf; a screen somewhere? Please help!
Toni, as someone who has 'lost' her baby doves as well, I can sympathize with you. Perhaps the kindest thing to do is to discourage building on that site, rather than encourage it if conditions are so perilous. Otherwise, perhaps there is a way to net or screen in a portion of the overhang to make an artificial nest that the birds can't be blown out of.
Hope that helps and better luck next year!
I have nesting doves in my trumpet vine (Southern Calif) on my patio cover. I can walk past, stop and talk to the doves and they just look at me. Not sure how many eggs but coming up on 3 weeks since I noticed the nest. Less than 3 feet away in the same vine I also have a hummingbird nest that showed up at the same time. They don't seem to mind each other. Hopefully I will have baby birds soon.
I have a nesting Mourning Dove in the gutter above my front porch, nestled under an overhang. She has been there for 2 weeks and I talk softly to her everyday. She doesn't seem to mind students coming over for their private music lessons or the sound of the flute. I hope that the babies will be o.k. after they hatch.
I have a dove that built a nest in the springs of our backyard trampoline. Must be an inexperienced mother. From what I see on this blog, I won't worry that it has almost been 2 weeks and no babies yet. But, when they hatch, the babies will be out in the open and eposed to the elements. I won't move the nest, but I am thinking about building an A-frame bird house of sorts out of used pickets. There won't be a floor so that I can just place the A-frame on top of the existing nest for shelter. Does anyone know if this will scare off the parents before I do it? Thanks for your help. Tony.
Tony, I'm not sure how hardy the birds' nervous system is. Maybe you could assemble the "roof" apart from the nest and then place it gently on while the birds are away for a bit.
Tricky to know what to do to assist them, I know. Moast sites I found indicate that they generally build uncovered nests or only partially covered, so closing them in may feel too aggressive.
My nester put up with a lot from me before she finally gave up on the eggs (which were non-starters)
best of luck! And let us know how it goes. :)
My husband and I live in Alabama and are raising white & cream colored ring neck dove. We have 32 adults and 12 babies. We love our birds. Today I brought home a baby morning dove I found in the parking lot @ work. I put the baby in with a ring neck dove that was sitting on an egg. She immediately started feeding and caring for it. Does anyone know if it is normal for dove to do this?
It's nice to see this thread continue from year to year! Our mourning dove nest is high on a flat branch in a Blue Spruce tree in Colorado. We've set up a ladder in our dining room so we can climb up and see the mama on her nest. We're only about two feet away from her, and she seems perfectly content. We're guessing the brood will hatch within the next week. Of course we'll photograph the whole experience!
well hello! I found this blog trying to find out about a wonderful nesting dove I have on the balcony of my new apt here in St Louis, MO. The mom has chosen to nest in my planter so I'm willing to sacrifice the plant for the excitment of seeing babies soon!! I can't wait! Thanks for the stories and the info.
Tracy in St Louis
I found this discussion when looking for information about our nester, a very small dove who made a nest above our front door porch light 2 or 3 weeks ago. She was gone all day yesterday, came back to it last night, and is gone today. We're starting to think either there are no eggs or they're not going to hatch. In the meantime, another dove, much bigger, has moved into a flowerpot hanging on the same porch. I guess it's possible the new one scared the little one away.
i have a nest in my garage i feel bad about closing the door everyday when i go to work the door is open for 5 to6 hours per day its been about 2 or 3 weeks i hope something happens soon jeff in naples florida
So fun to see this thread continue. Our mourning doves have built their nest in an asparagus fern hanging on our back porch in Dallas, TX. Plant and nest are swaying in the wind; but the parent sits tight. I hope we get to see nestlings in a week or two.
We too have a dove in a hanging planter outside our back door here in Omaha. We were concerned as lack of rain had the plants very wilted and the dove was in full sun all day. My husband took a hand sprinkler on the gentle shower setting and from about 3 feet away shot water into the air so that it came down onto the planter like rain. We were thrilled, the dove actually seemed to like it. She closed her eyes and put her head up and started drinking! The plants have recovered nicely and she once again has shade.
Our doves nested in our planters on the deck. The workmen arrived to paint and we had to bring the planter inside into the air conditioning, (twice) primer and finish..The mother bird came back each time and has been sitting on them for the past week. How hardy are these eggs? Would she still be sitting on them if the cold damaged them?
To the writer asking about mother birds flying back to the nest ... my understanding is that if the eggs are damaged by excessive heat or cold and are clinically "dead," both parents eventually fly off. But they are pretty tenacious about returning, if all's well. I put a kind of foam rubber "catch box" for doves nesting on top of a pillar attached to my house, just in case eggs or birsa drop out, like last year. Hope this works.
Will the doves that have nested on my porch return for a repeat performance next year?
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