On the Nest

Can you see the bird?  4/6/2023 dwm photo

  It won't be long... a pair of mourning doves set up their home on a window ledge two weeks ago and have been faithfully sitting on the nest for a week.

 The incubation period is two weeks, so there should soon be more to see than a male mourning dove doing his share of parenting.

 According to the answer I received when asking online how long it takes their eggs to hatch, I learned the parents take turns - the male tending the nest during the day, the female at night.

 This nest probably seems ideal to the pair of doves - it's two floors above ground and they can see predators.  

I don't think they're aware the large window behind the nest and others ten feet to their left are in a sky walk connecting the Tower apartment building with the Center for the Arts and Education.  Several people told me doves aren't the smartest birds at the feeder but since there are large numbers of doves they must know what their doing.

Are you looking at me? 6/6/23 dwm

Several years ago, there was a pair of great horned owls raising a pair of owlets off a hiking trail and they became the most photographed couple on campus.  

The way the mourning doves fade into the brickwork and ivy on the Tower, only those who know where to look are paying attention.  

 

They are hiding in plain sight.  In the room behind the glass, I noticed several tables set up to create space between the nest and the closest place humans can watch the nest.

I'll keep you posted.