First there was one. (Click all pictures for larger views) 
"Doves build practically the worst nests of any bird there is. They put a few sticks in the branch of a tree and that's it. It's horrible." ~ Doug Bowman
Last year the Mourning Doves built a nest in our fig tree and it's true; just a few twigs, nothing to make it stable. They also seem to move the baby birds out of the nest only days after they hatch, perhaps to brush beneath the bushes.
This year we had a nest of robins build in an evergreen bush at the end of the house. You can read about our disaster and makeshift artificial nest here. One commenter called it our FEMA nest. I intended to clean the FEMA nest out but became preoccupied with my pumpkins. (another post) Only five days after the robins left, Dad came in and announced that we had another occupant in our pipe cleaner anchored, plastic nest. Sure enough, there it was; one small pale pink egg on a layer of fresh pine needles.
(Click "read more" below to continue with story and pictures)
A couple of days later, there were two. This nest still had the base of mud mixed with twigs and paper that was the remnant of the robins disaster. It had the outer plastic shell and pine needles we had added, plus a few of its own. While this bird did not have obvious building skills, he did know a good thing when he saw it.
At first, Mother Mourning Dove was very skiddish, and flew off the nest when I tried to take her portrait, but as days progressed she grew accustomed to my camera. Papa, however would pace back and forth on the roof at the edge of the house and chirp loudly.
I thought it would take about fourteen days for these babies to hatch so I kept close watch. Mama grew more and more possessive of her nest and more bold or comfortable with the camera.
But my time was short! I had to go to New York in two more days and still, no babies! On Wednesday, I thought for sure they had hatched. Mama would not leave the nest at all. Perhaps they have hatched and she is sitting on the babies to keep them warm? I just had to know! So I tried to get her off the nest for just a few moments.
What did she do when I put my hand in to move the branch aside? She hit me! She slapped my hand with her wing! Mama wouldn't move but she hit me! I finally did see beneath her wing and alas, no babies, just eggs. They would hatch while I was gone.
Sure enough, two and a half weeks later, on my return, the nest was empty. The babies gone, but wait.... under the holly bush in the front yard.... yes, a young mourning dove walking back and forth. She was almost full grown but you could tell she was still a young one. For one week she stayed under the bush, only flying up to the roof or to a nearby tree if pressed. I left bread crumbs, nuts, and water. What happened? Why was she still there and alone? I found a bunch of feathers near the evergreen that housed the nest. Was her nest mate killed? Or her mother? Did she not know where to go or what to do? She could fly away but came back each night to the haven beneath the bushes. Then, just as suddenly, she was gone. We saw her last on Saturday morning. She flew into the woods behind the house.
I wonder if we should keep that FEMA nest available and ready. I've cleaned it out now. Will robins try again there? Perhaps the mourning doves will return next year; but I'll probably have to build the nest for them. Perhaps we could post a notice:Nest for rent. Cheap.
Sturdy, good drainage.
Furnished on request.
Apply within.
(end of post)
Hot sun in the summertime. (Click picture for larger view) "Very hot and still the air was,
Very smooth the gliding river,
Motionless the sleeping shadows."
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
August 2nd and 3rd. Two days. Two long hot days. Temperatures just above 100 degrees. Humidity at 75% and heat indices around 110 degrees. No breeze. The result? Two days to sleep, sit in front of the fan, conserve the electricity, try to stay cool. Bad days to walk the gardens, ride the subway or shop. Hard days for city dogs; the pavement blistering. The sky over Manhattan was usually clear, but with the heat came haze and with haze came the one upside to this weather, spectacular sunsets.
Submission to Thursday Challenge for topic "hot". (end of post)
Three: Female squash flower with three stigmata. (Macro)
(Click picture for larger view) "My whole outlook on life changed with those three little words, 'The rabbit died'." ~ Anonymous Mother
This year I tried to grow squash, little white pan squash, but it didn't work. At first the vines grew green and strong; large yellow flowers appeared and I kept waiting to see the squash, but the flowers simply wilted, no squash. More flowers bloomed and these looked promising with small bulges beneath the bloom. But these too dried up and turned brown; again no squash, no babies to pamper. Finally all the vines wilted and died. What happened? I discovered that squash and other plants in this family have separate male and female flowers on each plant. The males usually bloom first to attract the bees. Isn't that strange? Usually it's the female who has to be "attractive." Later, the female flowers bloom along with the male flowers and the bees do the pollination tango. Apparently this plant had MBD, or "Male Bloom Dysfunction." All the male flowers hit full bloom before this female flower opened. No pollination, no squash. Why did this happen? Who knows. Perhaps we'll have better luck next year.
Submission for MacroDay topic "three". (end of post)
Childhood friends: Lori D. and Nyssa.
(Click picture for larger view) "Childhood is the world of miracle and wonder; as if creation rose, bathed in the light, out of the darkness, utterly new and fresh and astonishing. The end of childhood is when things cease to astonish us." ~ Eugene Ionesco (1912 - 1994) Romanian-French dramatist
Let's pretend!! I'm the mommy and you're the grandma; or I'm the teacher and you're the student or we can both be astronauts! Let's pretend we have a ranch with lots of horses and mountains and this broom will be my golden Palomino and yours will be a white stallion. Let's pretend!
The joys of childhood when anything and everything you imagined could come true; the time of neverending possibilities, when hours drug out like days and weeks seemed like an eternity. Weaving story webs with friends in hats and baby dolls in strollers; giggling, singing, squealing and laughing until you dropped to the ground from exhaustion and pure satisfaction. The days when getting dirty all over was expected and making mudpies acceptable; when song lyrics such as "Down by the bay, where the watermelon grows...." and "I like to eat, eat, eat, apples and bananas..." were actually in vogue; and when art meant chalk drawings on the sidewalk or watercolors on butcher paper.
Do we lose this as adults? I hope not! Put me in a garden with wild splashes of color; or in a good book; or in the Uffizi museum of Florence and it comes flooding back. The colors, textures, word pictures, brush strokes, chiseled angles and smooth lines astonish me over and over again and that ability to lose oneself in time returns...... Childhood.
Submission for PXITE topic "childhood". (end of post)
Nyssa & Margaret.
(Click picture for larger view) "Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life." ~ Pythagoras (582BC - 507BC)
Students at William and Mary.
Summer session roommates.
Studious and thoughtful.
Short and tall.
Love fun.
Friends.
Submission for Photo Friday topic "friends". (end of post)
