My "Green" Doves

Did you know that the mournful coo of the dove is really their cry to mark their territory? And did you know that their wings actually whistle while in flight? AND...did you know while building their nests the females stay at the nest building site and the male collects ALL the material? The males stand on her back to give her the material; she takes it and weaves it in the nest. Wonder if that is why their nests are poorly built??!!!

So why all of the meaningless facts? Let me tell you. Last spring I excitedly discovered a robin's nest immediately outside the window. "Immediately outside" meaning literally not more than 3 feet from the window! And I watched the robin's nesting progress with enthusiasm. I call it enthusiasm but my family (mainly the daughter!) called me dorky!! Of course, I learned all the "robin facts" I could and daily told the family and my friends of them. Made my family come and watch from the window as well. After the spring abandonment of the nest, I continued to watch the empty nest all through the summer, fall and winter. Spring has once again arrived in small town Ohio and not more than a week ago I went out to retrieve the empty nest to utilize it somewhere in my garden decor! For some reason....(haha) it was too high to reach and I put the thought of it aside. Not more than a day or two later I looked out the window and noticed the small nest had doubled in size! It had become like a triple decker parking garage!! The same 5" nest is now about 10" high and much wider in diameter than before. And....you guessed it, home to a pair of nesting mourning doves!

It's been about 5 days since my discovery and the pair of mourning doves are routinely attending the nest. The male dove sits on the eggs, usually 2 for doves, from mid morning until late afternoon when the female takes over for the rest of the day and all night. (A woman's work is never done!!!) The incubation takes about 14 days so, soon I'll witness, like the robin, the little ones poking their tiny bobbing heads up and begging for food from the mama!!

So, like us, the doves are going green - recycling at its best! Mother nature is way ahead of us!

And by the way....I nearly took a tumble out the window trying to get the picture above!!