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Saturday, March 10, 2012

Nest Watch!

We have two small live oaks in our front garden.  One was planted as part of the landscape package when we moved in four years ago.  It's now about 15 feet tall and nice and full. The other is one that we planted to replace one of the originals that died a year after it was planted. It's much smaller than the first, but it's coming along.


Both of them seem to be bird magnets and last year we had Northern Mockingbirds nesting.  So last weekend, when we were being serenaded all afternoon by a mockingbird, we assumed they had taken up residence again.

However, when I zoomed my camera in to the higher of the two nests in that tree, I was surprised to see it wasn't a mockingbird sitting on the nest, but a Mourning Dove.

I've entered this year's first nest attempt report at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Nest Watch web site, even though the nest is too high up for me to get details like the number of eggs etc. 


She's been sitting on the nest all week, and Eric, whose "man cave"/den looks out to the front garden told me that the mockingbird has been hanging around most of the week too.

We joke that the babies will be probably be some sort of mocking-dove hybrid.

Has anyone else seen this kind of camaraderie between bird species?


Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

7 comments:

Dorothy Borders said...

Interesting observation. What I can see of the nest really doesn't look like a dove nest. It's much too well constructed. Could the dove possibly have taken over an old mockingbird nest? I'll keep my fingers crossed for the expectant parents. By the way, doves almost invariably lay two eggs.

BernieH said...

What a fascinating situation. I wonder what's gone on? I do so hope you get to see the fledglings eventually.

Pam's English Garden said...

Dear Jayne, Can't wait for the next installment of this posting! P. x

Jayne said...

Hi Dorothy -- yes, she's nesting in a nest that the mockingbirds built and nested in two years ago. I'm wondering if Mrs. Mockingbird is perhaps nesting in the other nest in that tree, but I've looked and looked and just can't see anything in the nest. Mr. Mockingbird was serenading again this morning.

Anonymous said...

This may seem unusual, but on my way home today, I swear I saw clearly a mourning dove pair, but with mockingbird like wings, and a grayer colored plumage...I might have seen wrong...but I can't be sure...

Anonymous said...

^Oh, and I live in Katy, Texas

Barry Colbert PSL FL. said...

We have a pair of Mockingbirds with 4 babies. I noticed this morning the nest has crashed. About 1/2 way down on one side. I made a stick/small platform and pushed it back up some. Now the paltform is locked in place. They act as if nothing has happened and both or feeding the furiously. Just noticed too a pair of Doves tried to get in it. The male would have no part of it. :)