Ever Wonder Where they Got the Term "Bird Brain?"

It's from these guys.

Mama and Baby in Survival Mode

Every year, we have a pair of mourning doves who nest in our orange tree. They make me kind of crazy, what with all the poop on the oranges in the fall, but it washes off.

 

We also have a pair who aren't quite quick enough or strong enough or smart enough to win the spot in the orange tree and they end up building their home on the pillar of our patio. I don't know the life cycle of a mourning dove and I don't know if this is the same pair every year or if they are the previous pair's retarded children each spring, but every. year. the nest on the pillar falls apart. Last year the pair lost at least one baby before it hatched. It was a yolky mess on the pool deck below.

 

This year I've done my best to protect them. I remind family and friends that we have a nesting mama and not to frighten her away. Leave her in peace as much as possible to hatch the babies. Yesterday we were playing Nintendopoly (that's the Nintendo collector's edition Monopoly) and watching the dove family. The Papa came home from hunting, I assume, said something to the Mama, she flew off and he settled on top of the nest. After a moment or two, we saw a baby pop its cute little fuzzy head up and the Papa fed it! It was adorable! Good for the dumb little bird family! They successfully nested and hatched at least one baby!

 

This morning is a whole other story. It's windy. The nest is practically gone. It's all in little bits and pieces, strewn about the patio. It wasn't that sturdy to begin with, and its precarious position on the pillar doesn't offer much protection or support. The poor Mama and Baby are all snuggled up as close to the wall as they can get while the Papa is hopping around trying to rebuild the nest. Every time he brings a twig back up, it gets blown away again. There's a reason it's wise to build a nest IN A TREE!

 

If they survive this windstorm, I'll be amazed.