We have a population of around 32 doves who share our garden with us. They are all descended from a couple of babies that we hand reared 10 years ago and who, fortunately, were a male and female. Not sure which generation the current ones are, but we have seen many come and go over the years.
We have been fortunate that interlopers have come and gone and done their business so to speak, which has diluted the pure white stock, but overall, they remain largely white and beautiful. I love the sound they make and watching them strutting around the garden, the males all puffed up with importance, and the females playing hard to get.
There is a very definite pecking order, with the 6 most dominant pairs occupying the bijou residence that is the dovecote. However, space is limited and the need to breed is strong, and we now find some rather silly birds this year nesting in the most inappropriate places!
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Our garden shed has a gap under the door and a pair are nesting happily on a pile of twigs in an old potting tray!
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This is the female sitting on a nest in a bunker in the garden that man person, J, is constructing as part of a garden rebuild. (dont ask..!). Needless to say, work has come to a standstill in this area for now.
I will take some photos of the chicks when they hatch.
Dev X
1 comment:
That's actually quite fascinating! We were able to observe a Spotted Flycatcher quite closely last summer; the small bird decided that the rose wreath on our FRONT DOOR was a suitable place for making a home and raising a family! There were five eggs in the nest already when we realized what was going on right in front of us, and they hatched right before midsummer. The wonders of nature...
Take care!
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