The Dove Report
SATURDAY April 18
Today I noticed a lot of bird activity taking place in my back porch area. My hunch was that nest construction was going on. But I wasn't sure.

SUNDAY April 19
On Sunday I opened the shades and discovered that new tenants had moved into a corner spot, atop my "outside" patio curtains. The glass prevented me from getting a good look so I carefully opened the door to investigate. With the first click of the door handle, off flew the two doves that had recently taken up residence. 
 
I checked again after returning home from church and found the nest vacant. This saddened me because I didn't want to have caused homelessness to his young couple. I saw no activity all day. I worried.
 

MONDAY April 20:
Early in the morning I was happy to see the two doves were both tucked up in the corner, a scant space that is hardly large enough for one. When I opened the door, the male flew away but the female remained, allowing me to walk up to just under the nest while she kept a keen eye trained on my every move. I sent up some kind words and went to my office to work with the door to the patio open. As soon as the day became cozy warm, off she flew to do whatever she felt needed done, returning that evening to take up her post in the nest. The male must have returned, because I could hear occasional cooing sounds as I continued to work.
 
TUESDAY April 21:
Still there. I went out to greet her and wish her a good day. She left shortly to go about her duties a little earlier than yesterday. At about 1:15 p.m. she was back at the nest. She always "sets" with her tail feathers pointed straight up, where the inside corners of the patio meet. She couldn't ask for finer lodgings ... the sound of the water falling into the pool below and, of course the ability to take in the excellent view, looking out over my own private Grandito (oxymoron)Canyon. Of course their choice is prime realestate because of its added safety features...protected from predators, both creeping and flying. I recall the doves outside my bedroom French doors in Arizona. They constructed their nest on a concrete wall that backed up against the side of the house. One day I went out to find the eggs dashed to the ground and broken to bits. The little ones didn't even get a chance. As I recall, Doves mate for life. I hope that wasn't too much of a heartbreak for them; it was for me.
 
WEDNESDAY April 22
Mrs. Dove didn't move from her spot all day. She is very dedicated to her task. Mr. Dove, on the other hand, is AOL. I don't even see him bringing her food. She must be getting very hungry. I would like to provide her with a few tidbits but I don't think she will take food from strangers. I would at least like to play some music for her or move the TV out to where she could at least catch Secrets of Game Birding on the Outdoor Channel (a horror show for Doves, I'm sure). I was hoping she would fly away to get food. Then I would quickly put up my little step ladder and take a picture of the eggs. Wish I would have thought to put up a rearview mirror above the nest.
 
THURSDAY April 23
Mrs. Dove is so still; she looks like a Dove decoy—the type of fake bird that is used for duck hunting. She doesn't move. Actually, maybe she has starved to death. No one brings her food and she doesn't move from her vigil on those eggs. From what I learned from Google, it takes 14-17 days for those eggs to hatch. I hope I will still be in town for the blessed event, sometime in the first week of May. I really worried yesterday, the wind was blowing fiercely and the curtains (atop which she is perched) were billowing out, even though they are tied down. Sometimes the wind is so strong that it pulls the screws from the wall and the curtains go flying! She would never have survived that upheaval. I thought I might see Mr. Dove hanging around somewhere, just to keep watch and see how things are going. But no! I'm really disappointed in him.
 

FRIDAY April 24
The wind is still blowing fiercely today. It even rained a little. One more person reacted with shock when I told them I was allowing a dove to nest on my porch. "They make such a mess!" everyone says. On the other hand, I feel privileged to be able to watch this ritual of nature going on so up close and personal!

Clyde arrives with twig for the nest. He surveys the best place to put it. Ah! This looks like a good spot.
We need more. Gotta get more! Hmmm. Where should this go??? The plumber's crack of dovedom.

SATURDAY April 25
More wind today. Mrs. Dove is like a rock, making herself as heavy as possible to hold down her nest. But here is some exciting news. About 7:00 p.m. I went to the kitchen and saw Mr. Dove (I'll call him Clyde) flying to the nest. I was curious to see what he had ordered out for dinner! When I looked through my camera with the telefoto lens, I saw that he wasn't bring food, only sticks to reinforce the nest. There was no sign of nourishment for his dear mate. He made multiple trips to bring sticks back to the nest. He put them down where he thought best, then she worked to rearrange them to her liking (and comfort too, I suppose).

SUNDAY April 26
The nest looks much sturdier now, but it's definitely a lot heavier. Seems like they may have over-built by making it heavier and more vulnerable to being toppled by the wind. We'll see.....

MONDAY April 27
I have always enjoyed hearing the sound of doves—both their cooing and the sound their wings make at "lift off." The sound of their wings is unique...just like their call. It reminds me think of the temple.

Never content; Clyde adds more twigs.

Away he flies to gather more twigs.

Alone again; but which one?

TUESDAY April 29
The wind was blowing again today. The dove family felt it necessary to bring more twigs to the nest...always in the early evening. They always fly out from the nest toward the north (maybe it's because there is a wall on the south side). But after emerging from under the roof of the patio, Clyde always proceeds in a northerly direction. I think I can recognize him now, swooping low in the large drainage basin behind my home. He comes into the nest too, always from the direction he exits.

Notice in the close-up picture on the end, that one of the new twigs is from a tumbleweed. They have lots of very sharp thorns on them (I know. I have encountered them many times in my garden when I pull clumps of weeks and a tumbleweed twig is hiding in the bunch.) Perhaps the plan is that the thorny twig will "pin" the nest to the curtain. But now the nest is so heavy that it really wobbles with the wind. The must cause a good deal of angst for Mrs. Dove.

The question, now, is, "Is that really Mrs. Dove on the nest?" I have learned that Doves take turns sitting on the eggs. That's a nice example of family cooperation and togetherness. All I have to do is figure out which one is Clyde and which one is the little "Mrs." By the way, any of you grandkids want to give Mrs. Dove a first name? How about some suggestions. Notice in the first picture, that Clyde has little stripes under his wing. Male birds are usually more "decorated" than the females. Could this be the male? But how do I tell the difference when they are sitting on the nest??? This is going to take closer detective work.

Empty nest! So where did they go? Double-decker doves. Sometimes on the edge, looking down.

WEDNESDAY April 30
Now what is going on??? Because of all the unusual activity around the nest, I thought for sure the eggs had hatched! The birds were flying back and forth and sometimes the nest was left entirely unattended. These pictures were taken in the morning, when the sun was on the other side of the house, making it a lot harder to get a clear photo. When they were both in the nest, there wasn't much room so sometimes I'm sure the Mrs. was saying, "Hey, get off my back; you're going to smash the eggs!". But then things settled down and it was business as usual around the nest for the rest of the day.

WEDNESDAY May 6
It has been a pretty boring life up in the nest. The only thing I notice is that Clyde sits on the nest facing the wall, with his tail pointed out over the edge of the nest. Would that be backwards? It wouldn't be fair to comment, "Just like a male;" it's all about point of view. I have moved my big ladder out to the patio...just to be prepared for the big day. I leave town on Friday, but wouldn't dare try to induce the birth for my convenience.

SUNDAY June 28
How lives fly! —literally. The first tenants (Clyde and Bar)* hatched their young while I was out of town. When I returned, I saw two little heads peeping over the top of the nest. When I mounted the ladder to get a closer look with my camera, OFF THEY FLEW. For a few tedious moments I wondered if they would catch enough air to make it over the swimming pool. After some bit of fluttering near the ground, off they flew, never to be seen again (at least not recognized by me).

NEW TENANTS
Of course I was disappointed to have missed recording the appearance of new dovelets with my camera. To my surprise, however, not many days went by before there was new activity in the nest. Either Clyde and Bar had returned for a second term or new nesters had come to set up housekeeping without the need to go to the bother of building a nest from scratch. "Squatters," I would call them. They flew in; they flew out. They chatted and called to each other, as if trying to make up their minds. "Come on you guys, the space is free and the home is already built! Where could you get a better deal?

Soon they were taking turns on the eggs. Doves, I read on the Internet, can hatch several batches (two at a time) of little ones in the course of one summer. Because these two doves seemed to sit on the nest differently. I had the feeling they were a new couple.

DOVELETS
I thought I would see "feeding activity" taking place after the eggs hatched. But I saw nothing of the sort. Several weeks went by and two small heads appeared again over the top of the nest. They grew very quickly in two weeks; flight training was about to begin. This process proved to be quite interesting. This time it was a struggle to get the young ones to leave the nest (as with some children who love the comforts of home). They finally made it and on Tuesday, July 23, the nest was again vacant.

*Yes, Mrs. Dove was named Bar. This could be short for Barbara, of course. However, she really does have touches of chocolate coloration in her feathers.

New doves try out the nest. Looks
like a tight squeeze. They flew back
and forth...calling and discussing
the pros and cons of the new roost.		 These little doves don't seem too
anxious to leave the nest. The
parents must have been feeding
them because they look very fat!		 Flight instruction begins in earnest.
Mom and pop would fly back and
forth, as if to say, "See, this is how
it's done. Com'on, I'm watching you!"
One little dove simply did not want
to fly away. Parents would get on
both sides, as if to lift the young
one from the nest. It didn't work.		 Now I know the meaning of
"lonesome dove." This little guy
sat alone in the nest for days! His
parents seemed quite frustrated.		  
Every morning I checked. Every time I looked out the window from my living room I checked. Finally, on Tuesday of this week, I saw the nest was empty. Either somebody got pushed out of the nest or he flew away because the possibility of food looked like the better option.

Should I put up a "For Rent" sign?