The doves I saw from my kitchen window the day I started this blog seem to really like hanging out on top of the shade structure. It's only been a week or so since this picture, but already the wisteria has grown so much it reaches the window.
Every day I look, either one or both of the doves are out there. And this one is always hidden in the leaves like this. So I'm wondering if maybe they are nesting.
Luckily, I have an internet friend who's an ornithologist, so this post is for her - hey, Laura, what do you think? Are they building a nest? How long do they take to hatch their eggs?
4 comments:
Yep, they're nesting. Hey--you could participate in NestWatch! (www.nestwatch.org). If one of them is always there, the eggs must be laid. Males usually incubate from mid-morning until afternoon, and females the rest of the time. It takes 14 days for the eggs to hatch. Both parents feed the nestlings pigeon milk (which is actually produced by their crop [a sac in the esophagus]), which becomes more and more of a slurry with seeds as the babies grow. They'll be in the nest for another two weeks, growing almost as large as their parents before they fledge.
Wow, Laura, this is so cool! I hope to be able to chronicle them as they hatch.
It amazes me that the birds don't see us moving around behind the window, even though I try to be very quiet and move slowly.
Hi, g! I'm sorry we didn't get to talk either last week. But I love the theme of your blog. . . "things to celebrate." We don't do enough of that!
Oh, this is so exciting! And what a good omen for the start of your blog.
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