Mr. and Mrs. Mourning Dove

And so the saga of Mr. and Mrs. Mourning Dove continues, and ends.

Those of you who read the last Korner know that we had a family of mourning doves build in one of my purple petunia hanging pots on our front porch. As I stated in that column, I only had the pot hanging for less than an hour when the couple started scoping it out. That was on a Wednesday, then on Thursday they began building and finished the nest on Friday. Mrs. Dove laid the first of two eggs on Saturday and the second on Sunday.

I watched for 18 days as the pair sat on those precious eggs which housed their little family. You would never believe all the close up pictures I took from the building to the eggs to the babies and finally the departure.

If you didn't pay attention, you would think that one bird did all the sitting on the eggs, but they took turns. I caught them three times in what I call the changing of the guard. That is where they relieve each other. The best I could tell they changed every six hours.

I couldn't help wondering, "Where did they go or what did they do" during the time they were away from the nest. Sure would be interesting to know.

I stated in the last column that if you drove by our home and saw a wilted hanging petunia, you would know that I had given in to them. But that did not happen. Nope, sure didn't. I actually was able to take the plant down and water it all through the setting on the eggs up to the very end.

After I learned I could keep the petunia watered with Mom, Pop and the two babies in it, I decided to try and keep the petunia moist and pretty. I succeeded in this endeavor, but I sure created a stir one night. As I was watering, there was some sort of movement and it startled the parent. He, or she, flew into one end of the porch then back to the other end, each time hitting their head on the roof. I was also in a panic, terrified they would injure themselves. Finally, he/she got outside the porch, and I hurriedly re-hung the pot. How forlorn those babies looked without either parent in the nest with them. Up until now, they had never been left alone.

I came back in the house very scared and sad. I just knew I had become a murderer. I was so fearful the parent of those little ones would fly away somewhere and die. Oh my, what a mess I had made of things trying to be helpful.

Needless to say, I didn't sleep all night. I kept checking to see if the parent had returned and each time I checked the babies were alone. I knew the parents took turns and I prayed all night that the other would show up at changing time. Finally, about 6:30 the next morning, I saw an adult with the babies. You will never know the relief that flowed through me. All I could think of all night was, "How am I going to save these babies?"

Needless to say, I didn't try watering again for a few days. But, once I had their confidence back, I continued my watering. I was determined to keep that pretty purple petunia as well as the dove family.

In another four or five days we knew the parents were preparing their little ones to start life on their own. The parents were now sitting on the deck and no longer in the nest with them. Sometime later on a Saturday, they took their flight out into the big world to make it on their own. We haven't seen them since.

I still have a pretty purple petunia and I have had the enjoyment of 34 days of the beauty of nature from the beginning of the cycle to the end of it.

I have not removed the nest from the flower thinking perhaps another family may want to use it or even, just maybe, one of the young ones may decide to raise their family in the old home place.

Although my flower is still pretty, it is one lonely little purple petunia. But somewhere out there are two young mourning doves I helped raise. I hope they think I did a good job. Who knows, they may even start their families close to me and tell their young ones, "Hey, you don't have to be afraid of this lady, she may scare the wits out of you, but she will help see you through to adulthood."

See ya next time somewhere in a 'korner'.

kdover28@gmail.com - www.dailystatesman.com - 573-820-2404