Our baby dove

I was back in the office and John yells at me to grab the camera and hurry.  So I grabbed my little camera and went out on the back porch where he was looking out the window.  There were two doves making a big fuss, and behind them, sitting on my antique sewing machine, a baby dove.  He looked quite content just sitting there watching the other two, not a care in the world.  He was much smaller than the other two and the wispy feathers told me he was a baby.

What was odd was that he just sat there. When the other two noticed us watching, they quickly took off.  The little one just looked at us but didn’t seem afraid even when I opened up the back door to snap a few pictures.  I told John he probably had an unsuccessful first flight and wasn’t going to try it again.  Later who I was assumed was Momma Dove came back and sat down next to him.

I kept checking until I went to bed around ten, and he was still there.  And he was still there early this morning when we went out at 7AM.  He’d moved from the sewing machine to the deck and fortunately was sitting in the shade.  (We’re in the middle of a extreme heat wave right now) 

When I checked on him a little before 11 he’d moved up to the bench, which means he flew a little.  He had to have flown up there, no other way.  And either Mom or Dad was up there keeping him company.  I love how he’s so nicely lined up in the shade of the railing.

 

 About twenty minutes later I heard a bang on the window, and was afraid to look.  Apparently he’d tried that flying again and didn’t get too far before the house got in his way.  But he didn’t look hurt, and he was in the shade still. 

 I went out to peek again around 1 when I could hear cooing coming from the back.  One adult (Dad I assume) was sitting in the grass calling to the baby and Mom was up on the deck sitting next to him.  I took this photo from a distance so not to scare them. 

Next time I looked, no doves on the deck, no doves near the house at all.  But… there  he was, hopping, skipping and kind of flying once in a while towards the trees in the back yard.  I watched him flutter his way to the safety of the trees, hopefully where he will recover from his first and second and third flight…. I wonder if he’ll ever come near the house again… 

I kind of miss him... (You can click on the pictures to make them larger)