Nesting Dove - Kentucky Chapter

In the tradition of GPS's very interesting Lonesome Dove threads, I too have a nesting pair of doves on top of a column in the corner my front porch. There's a a nice flat spot on top of the column just big enough for a nest and a pair of songbirds. But there's a bit of history here... Earlier in the spring, a robin was nesting in that spot and seemed to have a failed nest. She kicked an egg or two out of the nest (found them on my porch), and then a day or so later she punched out. A week went by, no birds. So I checked the nest and found a single blue egg, and for whatever reason, I left it alone. Two weeks later, a dove checks in and sets up shop in the robin nest. She sat that nest for weeks and we named her "Martha." And she was tough. I'd come through with a leaf blower after mowing the lawn, or even the lawnmower itself, and she still held tight. She never left that nest, while the robin took off every time we would open the front door. Sometimes Martha would be sitting on the sidewalk leading from the porch to the driveway and she would let my entire family walk right by no more than a foot away. She never flinched.

Occasionally, we would see dad hanging around, but mostly just Martha. She sat the nest for weeks. I never saw any chicks and I never saw her zipping around collecting feed for the chicks. I began to feel like this was a failed nest too.

Then we come home one day and found two eggs kicked out of the nest and Martha is gone. So I checked and three eggs were in the nest. She laid five! I left the nest alone for another couple of weeks with no further bird activity, so I took the nest down as we don't really want to encourage bird nesting on our porch. Come to find out, Martha built an additional layer of nest on top of the robin nest AND THE ROBIN EGG!

Here's the original nest. The blue you see at the bottom right of the nest is the remains of a single robin egg shell and embryo.


About a week ago, I noticed another dove (Martha?) setting up shop again on top of the porch column. She built a very lazy nest and began to sit, and with the same determination as the first Martha. She doesn't flinch at all. Dad, named "Thomas," seems to be hanging around a bit more too, and today he is furiously collecting grass and twigs and bringing them home for further nest construction. We can sit on the porch, and neither Martha nor Thomas pay us any mind and simply go about their business. So here's a couple pics of our lovebirds. I'll continue to monitor and keep y'all updated.

Martha 2


Thomas

Cool.

kry226 - I noticed the same thing with Laurie Darlin, when she was on the nest, she did not move, period!

Yes, sir.

What part of Ky are you in kry? I grew up in western part of the state and no place more underrated when it comes to good whitetail hunting...

I'm in Lexington currently, sir. I did three years at Fort Campbell about 16 years ago and came away with a Booner. I love Western Kentucky!