Two little cuties

[YadaYadaYada]

I found them hanging out in my front garden when I went to fill my fountain this morning. I think they are mourning doves but whatever they are, how cute is that? They stick right together so maybe they are siblings. Anyway, great way to start a Monday morning

 

[Bonfire]

Aww they are cute. They look like Morning Doves to me too, and they most likely are a mated pair. We have lots of them around too. Always in pairs <3. Great pic!

 

[Jambalaya]

Sweet! Thanks for posting. The romantic in me wants to believe that they're a pair, either engaged or an old married couple. Looking at this picture, it could be either!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I did some reading and found that they can be on the ground for up to four days and the Italians next door have an outdoor cat

We recently cut down some arborvitae bushes so I took those branches and made a barrier on the side the cat usually sits at. The neighbors were looking at me like I'm a nut and maybe the birds too

 

[PintoBean]

They are so cute and pudgey i want to squeeze them!!!

 

[stracci2000]

Those are young sibling doves. The mom and dad are nearby watching. I know this because we have lots of mourning dives in our trees and I have watched their behavior for years. In a few days, they will be good at flying and will be up in the trees. They are vulnerable now, so it is sweet of you to be concerned about them regarding the cat nearby!

 

[Rockinruby]

Great pic! They are just lovely! So kind of you to help to protect them from the cat.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Jambalaya]

So nice of you to think about the cat danger!

 

[Bonfire]

Good call sracci2000, they do look like youngsters! Even adult Morning Doves spend quite a bit of time in my flower beds laying in the mulch. They are a good target for predators as they are slow to get moving along! I hope the cat stays away! Bless you for trying to protect them.

 

[missy]

Awww what sweeties!!! Thank you for looking out for them Stephanie!!!

 

[Matata]

Adorable. I love this time of year, watching baby birds learning how to fly; watching their parents teach them what to eat. Makes my heart happy.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

So here is a question. They are still there and mom has been coming to feed them throughout the day but it will be getting dark soon and I'm wondering do I leave them out there or is there anything I can do to keep them safe overnight? They can't fly but they can hop and move along well, the thought though of a cat or raccoon gobbling them up is giving me anxiety.

 

[stracci2000]

There's really nothing you can do to protect them. They will hunker down in a bushy area and mom will be nearby.
I know it's hard to turn your back and leave them out there. Chances are they'll be OK.
We always worry about the little birdies in our trees. When we find a nest, we watch them grow every day, until they fly away. It is bittersweet!

 

[Queenie60]

Can you kindly ask your neighbor to keep their cat inside or in another area - just explain that you're concerned about the birds? I have a song bird nest on my front porch. She made her nest in a very large, stone pot full of ivy. So, of course I am leaving the ivy thick for now, I usually trim it out and plant annuals. Oh well - babies will be hopping around soon and then flying away! I love this time of year with all of the baby birds learning to fly. Thank you for sharing these beautiful doves.

 

[kenny]

I thought this would be a thread about DF and me, two little cuties.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Can you kindly ask your neighbor to keep their cat inside or in another area - just explain that you're concerned about the birds? I have a song bird nest on my front porch. She made her nest in a very large, stone pot full of ivy. So, of course I am leaving the ivy thick for now, I usually trim it out and plant annuals. Oh well - babies will be hopping around soon and then flying away! I love this time of year with all of the baby birds learning to fly. Thank you for sharing these beautiful doves.

I tried but they don't speak good English and I don't know if they got what I was trying to say.

So, I made them a little shelter. This is the best I could come up with. Thanks for the suggestions, my son said the nest is in the Japanese maple in our front yard so I guess that's why they are so at home there.

Oh and I had to take one more pic of them sitting together.

 

[mary poppins]

They are so cute. How sweet of you to look after them.

 

[momhappy]

They are adorable. Your neighbor's cat truly is a threat though... Fledgling (or juvenile) doves can sit on the ground for several days before they are able to be on their own. Their biggest threat is predators (cats, raccoons, etc). I think that the extra protection you've added and the box is a good idea. It's so nice of you to care for them

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Day two, they are still here!

I also managed to get a picture of a goldfinch that came to visit this morning.

 

[Maria D]

Aww, so precious! I'm very worried about the neighbor's cat. My indoor/outdoor cats were always prolific hunters.

Maybe you could show them the birds and speak to them in Italian...from google translate:

Sono preoccupato che il vostro gatto farà male gli uccellini.
(I'm worried that your cat will hurt the little birds.)

Hanno bisogno di quattro giorni prima di poter volare.
(They need four days before they can fly.)

Good luck!

 

[momhappy]

Glad they survived another night!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Aww, so precious! I'm very worried about the neighbor's cat. My indoor/outdoor cats were always prolific hunters.

Maybe you could show them the birds and speak to them in Italian...from google translate:

Sono preoccupato che il vostro gatto farà male gli uccellini.
(I'm worried that your cat will hurt the little birds.)

Hanno bisogno di quattro giorni prima di poter volare.
(They need four days before they can fly.)

Good luck!

Thank you so much for your post. So I tried to talk to them only to find out they do understand but they view the cat possibly eating the bird as the circle of life

They made it through today so hopefully only a couple of days left before they get their flight suits

 

[mary poppins]

So relieved to open the thread and see they made it through the night. I hope the cat continues to stay away. How uncaring of the cat's owner.

 

[Venti25]

These are so cute! I'm glad you're keeping an eye out. Looking forward to your updates. I also can't believe your neighbors.. ..how irresponsible.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Day 3! They are still here and really getting mobile so I'm thinking they will be flying the coop soon.

My neighbors, very old school Italians, I think they have a different view about animals than we do. No matter though, the cat mainly sits in one spot all day so she is not much of a hunter thankfully.

All these pictures look the same but I swear I take a new one each morning

 

[mary poppins]

Yay for another day!

 

[Queenie60]

This is great! Thank you for keeping us updated. Yes, they will probably fly real soon!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Day 4: it seems they are very comfortable here! It's really so nice to check and see them every morning. I do check on them as well throughout the day and I get a little frantic when I can't find them. So, they are still mainly sticking together but they walk around a lot more the past couple of days. We are going to get some loud thunderstorms later today so I'm hoping they won't spaz out and go hide in the daisies which is where they sleep at night.

Of course a picture is in order. Don't mind the black chain, that is what I've had to resort to in order to make sure my garden decorations don't walk off

 

[Bonfire]

I check your thread everyday to see how your little charges are doing! Do you still see mom nearby? It seems encouraging that the cat hasn't discovered them. Thanks for keeping us updated!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I check your thread everyday to see how your little charges are doing! Do you still see mom nearby? It seems encouraging that the cat hasn't discovered them. Thanks for keeping us updated!

Thanks for checking in on them Bonfire! Mom comes once or twice a day, although I haven't seen her today but maybe she snuck in and out quick. Still have the shelter box and greenery even though I don't think they use it, at least it's a barrier between them and the cat.

Was thinking that my next update will be when they decide to leave so don't worry if you don't see another post for a couple of days