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This is the second time around for doves nesting in the wreath by our back door. I’m sure it’s the same pair who devotedly cared for two eggs, taking turns in shifts as they are now. The first brood hatched in May, but only one egg, which mysteriously disappeared after two days, and the other egg didn’t hatch. There was no trace of that chick anywhere…no body, bones, feathers…nothing, and it was not old enough to fend for itself. Did other birds carry them away to eat I wonder? or ate them on the spot? or could the parents have eaten them? We do have Anoles, but I would expect that they would be too small to manage a comparatively large egg. A complete mystery.
Maybe there was something wrong with it, or the parents were first-timers. The lizards and salamanders around here are too small to eat a meal that size, and other birds would not have been brave enough to come so near to the door I don’t think. Nature takes care of itself though, so no tears! Hopefully these ones will survive and we can watch them mature.
Sept. 3rd:One of the chicks hatched! Sept. 4th update: The chick appears to be so much larger today, and it’s the first time I’ve seen it so exposed. It seems so vulnerable on that small flimsy nest. Sept. 5th: The chick has been left on its own a lot in the past 24 hours, also becoming quite vocal. The other egg is unlikely to hatch. Sept.9th: The nest is overcrowded. When the parent sitting on the chick is up in the air above the nest, it’s time for little chicky to leave!
It’s so funny when the parent sits on top of the chick trying to hide it – there is hardly enough room for two in the nest, and she/he is not fooling anybody! The chick ruffled its feathers and snapped its tiny beak at me when I took these photos – how sweet is that?! – the survival instincts are strong. Sept. 12th: Fortunately I walked out just in time to see the chick fly from the ground to the fence nearby. There it remained for about 90 minutes then it was gone. I wondered where it would be sleeping that night, and if it was truly on its’ own now without parents, and how it would survive. Less than a month before it was not even in the form of an egg!! Sept 13th: ..didn’t expect to see it again, but while sitting outside at dusk, there they were, the mom (or dad) and chick. It was so pleasing to see them sitting on the fence together. Sept16th: I still see the little one come into the yard, much bigger now. It is smaller than an adult, and I’m sure that must be the same chick.
Parts of the I30 and I35 highways (Texas) were closed as a series of explosions at Southwest Industrial Gases Inc., located next to downtown Dallas, sent flaming debris into the air for more than half an hour, July 25th.
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Nebraska scenes 1. Morrill, Water Tower 2. Windmills in Comstock 3. central Nebraska landscape 4. Nebraska – Wyoming border picnic table at sunset 5,6, and 7. Lazy U Motel, Broadwater, Nebraska 8. agricultural jewels 9. Elevators and truck loading
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Lazy U Motel, Broadwater, Nebraska
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Sombra, my visiting sister-in-law’s dog, found a nest of 5 baby rabbits in our back yard. I never would have found them otherwise, even though the nest was buried in a busy spot in the garden. The nest of fur and straw was a perfect bowl shape, covered by perennials. The little bunnies squealed and shrieked so loudly, it was hard to believe that sound came from such tiny 4 inch-long creatures. I didn’t want to handle them much because I was afraid the mother might not return to care for them if they were human-scented, but they had to be protected from Sombra, who would not leave them alone. I put them in a box, then when Suzanne and I left with Sombra to drive to Alberta, Alain put them back in the nest, covered them up again, and put celery, lettuce and carrots out every evening to entice the mama bunny back. At least one did survive because I saw it later that year in the back yard, along with the older bunnies who venture in year-round.
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Insect gall on Eastern Cottonwood leaf, Ottawa, ON
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No fear; Dove nesting in the wreath beside the back door, Lewisville, TX
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Shavingbrush tree in bloom and Bougainvillea blooming in a variety of colors, Chapala, Mexico
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A little boy sits on the doorstep, putting on his shoe.
Flowering Agave, Dallas TX. Agave live to be about 20 years old, then flower spikes, blooming for a few weeks and can grow to over 15 feet tall, produce seeds then the plant dies.
Unusual Cypress Knees, Irving Canal, Irving, TX
November sunrise – “mackerel sky” indicates cold weather ahead
