Doves Nesting In Orchid Pot

by Pat Carlson
(Satellite Beach, Florida)

This nest is in an orchid pot just outside our dining room window, in front of our front door.

The doves don't seem to be disturbed by our coming and going, but we are careful not to get too close. We anxiously await the hatchlings!

Dove nest

by Brooke
(Alabama )

As you can see, a dove has built a rather nice nest in my child's shoes that were left on the deck.

The eggs hatched and the young fledged but my child didn't get to wear these shoes for over a month. Hope the lesson was learned. 🤣

Doves Outside My Front Door

by Jean
(Wisconsin)

Doves In Petunia Basket

A pair of doves commandeered my petunia basket before I planted this year's wave petunias. They are sharing incubating the two eggs. We've watched the shift change several times.

One bird on the nest is joined by the other, then the first leaves.

We await the hatching of the 2 young ones.

Interestingly, they never built a nest, just laid their eggs in the hanging basket!

Doves in Hanging Plant

by Bonnie
(Bedford, TX)

I noticed a mourning dove in my hanging planter a while back but did not pay any attention to it - just thought it was finding something to eat.

The basket hangs from the eave of my sunroom and is fairly well shaded. Well I now know it was building a nest in the basket.

Yesterday morning I was out there and the dove was sitting in the planter again and to my astonishment, there were two baby doves.

Mama sat for quite a while but left and was gone a long time - I checked later at night and she still wasn't back, leaving those poor babies on their own.

I was afraid maybe I had scared her off. However, this morning she was back and has been there most of the morning.

Does anyone know how old they are before they try to fly - they are only about 6 inches long right now but they do have feathers, eyes open and seem to be moving around.

Mama sometimes sits on top of them. She had one wing held out over them and I guess she was protecting them from the sun.

Sometimes she perches on the side of the basket and I assume she is feeding them then.

This is the first time I have had a nesting dove and so know very little about them and would appreciate any information anyone can give me.

I hope they come back every year. This has been an incredible experience.

I hope I get to see them fly away. I have posted pictures of the two babies - aren't they precious.

Doves in Basket by Front Door

by Karen
(Livermore, CA, USA)

Hanging right by my front door, next to a railing, and I have 2 cats. One was sleeping in her bed right under the basket, with the mourning dove sitting on her eggs.

Now that the eggs have hatched, I'm trying to keep the cats in!