I was alarmed this morning while walking through my back yard viewing all the fruit and berries growing by leaps and bounds. When I approached the grape vine a sudden flap of wings that sounded almost like a small bomb, flew up right in front of me. I did not see the bird, but the sound I decided, must have been one. I looked in the direction where the flapping occurred, and I saw a bird nest on top of a fence post near my house. It was in open view, and I was completely shocked. I reached up and felt to see if there was an egg, and sure enough I felt one. I took a picture and came in the house to get a step ladder. Chuck had come over to eat breakfast so I said to him, “I want to show you something you are not going to believe.” We took the ladder and climbed up to where we could see in the nest, and two large, white eggs were inside. I took another picture. When Chuck saw the eggs he said they belonged to a Collar-Neck Dove. I am sure the mother Dove was somewhere watching us bothering her nest, and I hope she won’t abandon it. Chuck has been a nature lover all his life, and he also was surprised to see this unusual sight. He is forever educating me on birds, insects, frogs, snakes, squirrels, plants, trees, and many other things we share in our back yards. I have become a nature lover also. I am always looking for unusual things in my yard. I find something nearly every day.
The wicked, dark cloud I posted yesterday didn’t drop any unwanted, disastrous hail or wind. It let us be free from any worry or fear. Today is a bright, sunny day, and the temperature is 70 degree and steadily climbing. If this bird nest had been anchored on that post last week when the destructive hail storm hit us, it would have been totally destroyed. Maybe the Doves know when to build and when not to. Nothing is protecting this nest. I feel safer from storms now than I did yesterday. Somehow I feel as if even the birds trust Chuck and I or they would not put their nest where we can eyeball them anytime, and be within reaching distance of them. They probably have learned that we do all we can to help protect their babies. We still have some squirrels that make their way in my roof. They go under the roof right over where the nest is. Squirrels like to destroy the birds nest. Chuck said he was going to find some plastic owls to hang around the roof, and the squirrels won’t go near them. I hope he finds some. We do feel responsible to protect these little unborn Doves. For those who missed reading my blog last year, I helped a Robin to protect her nest in a plum tree near my office window. I also posted that picture of the nest, and even the little birds when they hatched out in the nest. At least that nest was hidden by leaves on the tree. It wasn’t far off the ground, but not easy to see unless you heard the mother when she would fly away when someone got close to her nest. Two cute little robins were born, and I listed their date of birth and birthplace along with their pictures still in the nest. Now I will be watching for two little Collar-Neck Doves to be born. God Bless the birds.
God Bless
Myrtle Jean Sharp
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