This evening we were sitting on our back terrace, all our pets were out back with us and we were making a fair amount of usual family noise when I spotted out of the corner of my eye what seemed like two very small birds just perched on the Philodendron … just hanging out, seemingly undisturbed by my dogs and cat who were all being quite vocal. On the off-chance that the birds might still be there when I got back I went to fetch the camera. My daughter managed to take quite a few photos of them and as you can see, these are definitely babies.
Barbie tells me that they look as if they are now too big for the nest but still can’t fly. I have been aware of a dove living in the back garden but was not aware of a nest.
This is the sight that first caught my eye …
Using the zoom lens to get closer without frightening or disturbing them …
Very obviously babies, they sat quietly, as if watching us.
Time for us to leave them alone and keep our boisterous pets away from them …
I sent Barbie the photos and she says they seem unstressed. They are not peeping or making any noise so they are probably not lost and Mommy is around. This spot is directly below the bird feeder and water bottle, so there is food for the Mom. The babies must have flown/hopped onto the big leaf stalk they are sitting on which is about 2 feet off the ground – so they are not completely helpless.
I’m guessing that the main threat to them would be my cat Hercules, whom I’ll try to keep him inside and very well fed for the next few days to give the birds a chance to get strong so they can fly to higher branches.
Happy Gardening
xxx
14 replies on “The Baby Doves in my shade garden”
Aw.. so cute!! What a great find. Hopefully you’ll get to see them a little more as they grow!
We have lots of doves in our yard around the feeders. I would be so thrilled to see some little baby birds come spring!
What beautiful doves. Shouldn’t be too long before they are flying around. Lovely photos.
How very sweet they are! Great shots too. I hope the cat leaves them be and the parents come back each year.
What great photos of the two cute baby doves!! Micro was the exact same and it brings back good memories! They have feathered wings and Clare is so right about the cheeky teenage attitude that they need to spread their wings before they are fully able. The nest of a dove is crude and sticky, so it is not a comfortable nest to stay in. They did not get a good lesson in nest building, I can tell you. 🙂
But they do grow really quickly and before you know it a week has gone by and they will be flying around. They also tend to stay close to home, so don’t be surprised when you see them making their own nests 🙂 before long!
So typical of baby birds, venturing forth before they’ve mastered their flight apparatus. I’m sure their mother is around. I expect in a couple of days though you’d hardly recognize them. I was amazed how much our flycatcher babies changed from day to day. One day bushy eyebrows and an Einstein hairdo, and a day or two later they almost looked like their parents! Good luck little ones. Fly well!
They are precious! I think it is so cute how they sit so close to one another. I look forward to spring when I may get a glimpse of some baby birds.
how adorable!!
I usually have Mourning Doves, but the last couple of months a Hawk couple is hanging around on top of our house so the doves moved on 🙁
I want my doves back!!
I can’t believe you have babies! They’re so cute. We have mourning doves – but they won’t be back for a few more months. Enjoy!
They are so tiny! How adorable! I bet they were learning to fly and I imagine mom and dad would have shooed you away if you had gotten too close!
How wonderful! I have never saw baby doves before. Looks like they have just gotten their big feathers. Beautiful pictures!
Oh, they are so darling and I bet you were really pleased to find them in your garden. The photos are wonderful and the way they are positioned is just picture perfect. We have lots of doves here and I never saw a baby before.
What a wonderful surprise to find in the garden.
I am not sure that sitting on a branch two feet off the ground and looking adorable is a sound survival mechanism, but it certainly worked with you.
We’ve just had a pair of tousled pigeons. They could fly, but not too keen. In days they are just part of the flock of birds here.