Eleanor Cook
Benbrook, TX, United States
Last year, I discovered a dove nest inside the rafters of my backyard gazebo. She had one baby who I got to watch grow up and she eventually flew away. Left the nest alone and to my delight, the doves returned to the nest this year and they are raising two new babies. The papa dove often can be seen on top of my storage building keeping watch for the feral cats who frequent my backyard.
I have a mourning dove in a straggly nest in my lttle palm tree about 5 ft high right by my porch stairs. its not scared of me but I never see it leave. Im in tucson I would like to feed it. maybe there is a male and they switch??? I think it had 2 other places but lost both. anyway it is windy here and it may rain should i use a umbrella? My son says leave it alone but….
Hi Sherry,
It’s best if you leave them alone; you don’t want to startle them by trying to put anything over the nest. You can, however, provide some bird seed in a feeder or scattered on the ground in the area if you like. Doves readily go to tray feeders and bird baths. The male and female do look alike, and they take turns sitting on the nest. They’re good parents!
Male Mourning doves have bigger necks than females. Females are smaller than males.