Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Doves - Again

The prime dove nesting real estate on the clothesline ledge on the back veranda has been occupied several times recently. I'm not sure why it's popular actually. Because it's immediately overhead outside the back door - the most used door in the house - you'd think it would be somewhat unnerving to have people and dogs passing almost within reaching distance a dozen or more times a day. There's the cat and doors banging too but the hens just hunker down and pretty much ignore us.

The latest baby fledged about a week ago. Still slightly scruffy, one morning it was fidgetting around on the ledge beside the nest one minute and in the next took off. All very normal. Less ordinary was when next morning it was sitting shivering on the ledge again. There it stayed obviously having decided it had made a serious mistake in leaving in the first place. Every time a dove flew past it optimistically tried to attract its attention, always unsuccessfully. It was quite sad. We went to bed with it still waiting. Next morning it had gone, we hope to a successful life.

I got sick at about that point so I hadn't removed the nest yet - doves are not the most hygienic of nesters so the nests really do need to be removed - when yesterday I noticed a pair - I don't think it's the same ones because the hen is larger - doing some renovations. So now we will wait and see.

Yes, I know they're feral and probably shouldn't be encouraged but they don't take nesting places from the native birds and there is something innately appealing about them.

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