This post is about one of the most fascinating things I’ve photographed in a long time. And it happened over the course of about six weeks in our own backyard here in Las Cruces, NM. About two months ago, we discovered that a mourning dove had made a nest in a fork of our Big Bertha Torch cactus (also known as an Argentine Giant). We thought that this poor bird was doomed. It decided to nest at nearly ground level right out in the open where any number of the predators who frequent our yard (including owls and bobcats) could come by an easy meal.
Perhaps the sharp cactus spines offer more protection than we thought because every morning the dove was still there. We were very careful not to come too close and disturb it. But soon it got used to our presence and was undaunted if we did some garden chores close to the nest. I eventually came to respect this dove a great deal. She was about as dedicated as I could imagine, sitting on that nest day after day and never flinching–both literally and figuratively–from her mission.
We at first assumed that our dove was a female and we wondered how she got food while sitting on the nest full time. We later read that many doves practice gender equality; the male and female will share duties on the nest, with one parent on the nest and the other out hunting. I use “she” because I took most of these shots in the afternoon, the most likely time for the female to be on the nest.
(Look at my photo gallery below if you would like to skip this longish read.)
After about two weeks we saw that the doves were now caring for two baby chicks. Even when we approached the nest, they seemed perfectly composed and untroubled. The day eventually came when the fledglings left the nest under the watchful eye of both mom and dad. We were surprised at the cohesiveness of the “family.” Perhaps I am being too sentimental, but it seems there was a genuine bond there. Whether this is pure instinct or some form of emotional attachment, I don’t know.
After the chicks left the nest we were relieved. Whew! Despite the terrible odds, our dove family got through unscathed. We thought our days of anxiety were over. But a few days later the dove was back in the same nest, exposed to all the same calamities. And sure enough, about two weeks later, mom gave birth to two new chicks.
Maybe there is lesson in this. Here are pretty defenseless creatures who, for whatever reason, chose to perform perhaps their most important life’s assignment out where they were quite vulnerable. Whether they understood the danger or not, they did not or could not worry about the past or the future but seemed only focused on the immediate task at hand. If only I could do the same.
Unfortunately, this tale has a troubling ending. One of the hatchlings from the second clutch died in the nest. A parent sat with the dead chick or stayed close by for about a day and–to our eyes–seemed quite confused and disoriented. We did not see the surviving chick leave the nest but assumed and hoped that it took shelter under one of the leafy bushes in our yard.
So you don’t necessarily have to go far to witness and appreciate the wonders of birth and survival in nature. Many times each day we had the rare opportunity to observe the overwhelming determination to procreate and to continue a species. Every day our lovely doves kept us enthralled and fascinated.
Select any photo to open an enlarged view.
