Some Come..Some Go..

I have been keeping tabs on all of the birds' nests in the area..especially those close at hand.  The Mourning Dove on top of the grape arbor has two little ones that are nigh on leaving the nest.  These were a second laying for this dove as she lost the first two to crows.  It is a sad thing to know predators get little ones but then life must go on after such a tragedy.  She reconstructed her nest and laid two more eggs.  These fared better since the grape leaves grew thick and covered the nest nicely.  Tragedy struck harshly to the Mourning Dove that has nested twice already on top of the rose/jasmine arbor.  Once her little ones flew happily away to be on their own, she had thoughts of nesting for a third time this year.  I watched as she and the male dove added a few more twigs to the existing nest and then one morning..the first egg!  This was to be an eventful year for the doves!  Three nestings in one summer...and perhaps even more!  I began to think all was well in the avian world (and it probably still is).

About a week ago, I rose early to catch the sunrise.  Imagine my dismal surprise when I came upon a large pile of grey feathers right along side of the board path that leads to the pier.  Uh oh...an owl or hawk must have gotten one of the fledgling doves!  Poor baby!  I supposed that Mama and Daddy bird had not taught the little ones to watch for dangers from above.  I went on to the pier with a little sadness in my heart all the while knowing that these things happen in the wild.  Later, I watched the nest.  Had I missed Mama Dove coming in to lay her next egg?  I peeked in the nest..one egg..hmmm?  The next day and every day since, Mama Dove has been absent.  The reality hit me today as I watched the bird feeders.  Two young doves were present.  Obviously, the feathers that I had seen were Mama Dove.  She would never hatch the lone egg that still sits in a cold nest.  Poor Mama Dove.  My sadness grew and the nest sat empty except for an egg that will never hatch.

Then as I watched the feeders, I realized that life does indeed go on even after tragedies.  Mama Red Bellied Woodpecker came in with a single fledgling!  She was teaching the tyke how to extract sunflower seeds from the wire cage feeders.  At first, the youngster sat on the driftwood post and shrieked at Mama.  "I am hungry!  Feed me!"  Mama obliged a couple of times and then pretended not to hear the demands.  "Feed me!  Feed me!"  Mama Woodpecker continued to get seeds but she was taking them to the post to crack them only to eat them herself!  The youngster's shrieks got louder and louder but still Mama Woodpecker ignored the ruckus.  Finally, the young woodpecker decided to try its best to get a seed! Success!  Try as it might, it could not crack the seed to get the soft inner core.  Mama showed the little one how to use a knothole in the post for cracking.  It will take some doing for the little woodpecker to learn exactly how to maneuver the seed in place and how to peck at it just so to crack the hard outer layer.  Mama will stay right there and teach the little one all the tricks of the trade, though.  She is a good mama.  And life goes on...