Question:
A mourning dove layed two eggs in one of my hanging
baskets on my front porch. Everyday for at least a month I saw mama dove
sitting in her little nest. I was very careful not to disturb her or
cause her any stress while she was there. For the last two days, I
hadn't seen her there so I decided to look into the nest. Inside the
hanging basket, I saw an egg coated with mites. When my eyes came into
focus, I noticed a very well developed baby dove (feathers and all) that
was also covered in mites and very much dead. I was so sad to see
this. I proceeded then to clean out the hanging basket. I've noticed
the mom and dad dove are still hanging around the area and it sounds as
if they are crying. Should I have done something different? I feel
terrible for the "mourning" mourning doves!
Replies:
No, there is nothing more you could have or should have done. While such
instances are unfortunate they are common. Doves (and other creatures) adapt
to loss of nests/young by trying again, as this pair probably will. The
"mourning" sound is not at all mourning in the human sense of the word, is
in fact a courtship and mating call, which indicates they are probably on
their way to renesting.
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