As if that wasn't enough, yesterday the dove who lives in the garden and who sits on the branch of the tree when I am watching me in the evening when I am watching TV was acting quite strange. I stopped whatever I was doing, sat down, propped my feet up and watched.
It appears that this bird, male or female - who knows, is building a nest up in the big palm tree behind the dried out fronds. It walks around look for thin branches, picks them up, checks them out and if they are too long or too thick to carry in its beak up to the nest that is being built, it drops it and continues to look for the perfect piece for the nest.
Here are a few photos that I took today. Now this series was taken in about six minutes, but the bird is spending, literally, hours combing the grass for the "right" stick for the nest. It has been three and a half hours since I took these photographs and the dove is still out there scouring around for more fill for the nest!
Earlier this summer, I watched a hummingbird building a nest at the end of the walkway. What a magnificent structure of twigs, leaves and grasses. A true thing of beauty............and another gift to enjoy seeing, even now, many months later.
The weather is getting a little gusty and a tad cooler. My presumption is that nature knows more then we do and hence, the hectic pace of this bird to get this nest ready!
How sweet it is!
5 comments:
I hear the making of a naturalist. Nest-making is particularly fascinating. Some birds seem not only to collect twigs, but braid them and attach them to the branch of tree so they don't blow away. It's really incredible, considering it's all pre-programmed into their little "bird brains." There is no nest-making school.
Hi Al - The more time I have for observation of my front yard wildlife, the more amazed I am at the intelligence of nature. For instance, the birds will drink from the birdbath all times of the day, but they don't use the birdbath for baths, until after about 2PM when the sun has heated up the water enough to make it comfortable for them!
I have always had a fascination with nests and had quite a collection before I moved last year. Mostly hummer nests. One time while in the Texas Hill country with fellow culinary guild members, we were in Mason, Texas on a country road and so more empty nests then I have ever seen in my life. We DID bring quite a few back to Houston and became known as the "empty nesters", ha. My son was aghast as he said those birds would wonder when they returned what had happened to their nests. Then I felt terrible. It is a luxury to have time to sit outside and read now and look up from time to time to see the squirrel peering up at me or a bird or a hummer at arm's length. A blessing.
What you have there, madam, is a Eurasian collared dove -- often called a turtledove. A few years ago, you would not have seen one in Mexico. In 1974 a handful of the birds escaped from a zoo in The Bahamas. They have subsequently spread across most of North America -- crowding out native species, like the mourning dove. I had a mourning dove nest in one of my palms. It has now been taken over by a collared dove pair. Probably because "that Texas lady" did not find it first. ;-{}
Don't worry about not being able to sex the bird. They are almost identical. But they are obsessive. The behavior you witnessed is not unusual. It makes me wonder how they ever get around to mating. But mate, they do. A lot. And that is why other doves are usually pushed out of the local bird scene.
I forgot one other thing. If you want to know how orchids can thrive, just ask Felipe about the one we gave him.
Thanks for the interesting information Steve about the Eurasian collared dove. They must mate prolifically as there are many thousands in SMA and more then that in Houston.
I'm getting all kinds of birds right now in the garden that are migrating south or somewhere. Yesterday I had about six absolutely neon yellow birds with bits of black and last night there was a traffic jam at one of the birdbaths! There were four birds dipping and diving in the water while six more waited, patiently, on the little shrub next to the bath. The birdbath is directly outside my front door. I could hear all the racket and see water flying in the air so I went to see what was going on. It made me chuckle.
Add to that the squirrel who takes lemons somewhere to its home, the possum that only comes at night but makes such a slurping noise drinking from a watering bowl that it sometimes wakes me up and the birds! I have a virtual wonderland of common creatures that bring joy to my life daily.
The orchid was absolutely such a surprise. In forty year of having "store bought" orchids, I have never had one rebloom. We'll see if any of the others do that were in close proximity to this one outside. I still shake my head as I walk by it and more and more blooms are opening!
Joy to the world.........
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