I Named Her Sweetness

by Patricia
(Orlando, Florida)

One day I was watering the topiaries on my front patio when all of a sudden I noticed that there was a mourning dove nestling in my lion's head wall fountain!

That was three weeks ago; it appears that she hasn't left the nest at all. Then I read that Mama & Papa doves share the nesting responsibility. Makes sense.

Yesterday afternoon my brother-in-law looked out the front window, which has a perfect view of the fountain, & noticed that the dove had left the nest.

He looked in the nest and said, "There aren't any eggs there!" I said "WHAT?!" & jumped up to go look. He laughed & added, "There are little babies in there!"

I was so happy, I ran to get a stool to give me more height because I'm not as tall as Neil, & yep, there they were, two or three all huddled together.

Then she (or he) came back & got right back on top of those babies.

I'll have to take more fotos when they get a little bigger. They really don't mind me looking at them; I just tell everyone not to touch. I'm so excited!

The fountain pump doesn't work anymore, & I wanted to ask Neil to install a new one for me while he visits, but that's out of the question now.

It really is a safe place for the birds to nest. These are my favorite birds; I love their mounrful call.