15 August 2023
Final Sunday whereas Bob Donnan was on the Pirates’ sport, two younger birds nestled within the windshield wiper properly of his automobile.
Yesterday [13 August] when our Chevy Bolt was parked on the South Hills Village – Public Fast Transit storage, two younger [Mourning] Doves nestled into the decrease windshield space. We didn’t even discover them till exiting the storage into brighter mild!
The automobile is so quiet that their quick experience didn’t alarm them. After I ended the automobile and waited for all visitors to cross, I waved my hand towards them they usually flew off, again towards the parking storage.
— electronic mail from Bob Donnan, 14 August 2023
I may inform by the birds’ look that they’re juvenile mourning doves as a result of they appear spotty quite than clean. Juvenile physique feathers are so new that every one has a pale tip, giving the chook a scalloped look. Evaluate the highest photograph of a juvenile with this considered one of an grownup.
Why did the 2 birds hang around collectively?
Mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) nest a number of occasions per season and at every nesting the feminine lays two eggs that hatch in 14 days and fledge 12-15 days later. Simply earlier than they fledge the daddy fully takes over feeding obligation so his mate can cycle and lay a brand new clutch.
The siblings are depending on their father for 12-15 days after they fledge (26-30 days previous). Throughout this era they keep collectively in the identical space throughout the day, by no means straying far, ready for dad to indicate up. Within the nest they discovered to affiliate his voice with a feeding so if he calls they arrive.
Curiously they’ve good homing abilities even at this younger age. If juveniles are pressured from their “reference space” earlier than they’re 21 days previous — i.e. whereas nonetheless depending on their father — they at all times return inside 24 hours.
Why on the parking storage?
Mourning doves nest in timber, shrubs and even on the bottom however they don’t have any downside nesting close to people and, in line with Birds of the World, “could use uncommon human-made substrates for nest websites, e.g. rain spouts, mops hanging on partitions, motionless automobile equipment.”
Hmmm. “Motionless automobile equipment.” These two are most likely not the one child doves who’ve been taken for a experience.
(photographs from Wikimedia Commons, video by Bob Donnan)
