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PeachyDoll
09-15-2015, 12:15 PM
Yesterday we found a baby ground dove chick floating in the dog water bowl. Luckily no dogs were around because she wouldn't be around. Anyway, the nest is on the framing of our outdoor patio and I haven't seen the parents in 3 days and I'm getting worried. Last Friday there were 2 chicks and 1 parent. It seems like the larger chick and parent have left the nest but this 2nd chick cannot yet fly. Hubby picked it up and we put in in a bowl with a towel to dry it off. The chick is fully feathered but seems to have been left on its own. Considering chicks hatch within days of each other I suppose it's time to leave the nest. We gave it some very small seeds in hopes that it wouldn't starve. When hubby put it back in the nest it didn't want to get off his hand, must be a girl chick, yet another bird in love with my hubby haha! I hope it will be ok, any suggestions? I'm trying to keep in mind that it is a ground dove, they don't fly very long or far. I just don't want it ending up in the dog water bowl again so we've moved their bowl. Should we put her on the ground with some seed? She obviously was trying to leave the nest when she flew 8 feet down into the water bowl. Thoughts?!?

spiritbird
09-15-2015, 12:52 PM
Do you think the parents may be nearby? I know there is a period of time from when they first fledge to when they can get back up into a tree for safety. This dove may be in that "vulnerable" time period. Do you have any predators that you know of around you home? If so I would try to protect the baby during these at risk days and keep an eye out for the parent birds as they could protect baby too.

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PeachyDoll
09-15-2015, 02:17 PM
Everything is ok. I spoke about an hour too soon. This morning I saw a small and a large head, one of the parents had returned to the nest. I'm sure they will be both gone in a few days. The chicklet was confidently walking around the framing columns this morning. Just goes to show you that myth that the parents rejecting the babies once a human has touched them. It certainly didn't affect these two they were snuggling together. Yah! I'm so happy.

Casper's 2nd best friend
09-15-2015, 02:24 PM
Birds often use our dog's water bowl to bathe in. We haven't had a dog for over twenty years now but the bowl remains because it is nice to watch the birds having fun just outside the kitchen window.

spiritbird
09-15-2015, 05:13 PM
glad the chick in OK. Doves are really good parents.

Birdbabe
09-15-2015, 08:14 PM
Thank you for watching out for the baby!

Lady
09-16-2015, 12:12 AM
Aww, so glad the parent returned.

PeachyDoll
09-16-2015, 02:37 PM
Well I guess Mamma or Pappa came to get the chicklet out of the nest, yesterday afternoon it was gone :) Just as I thought it had attempted it's first flight and ended up in the dog water bowl. It's 2nd flight appears to have been much more successful. Hooray!

Mare
09-16-2015, 04:08 PM
I'm so happy to know the little one survived this most precarious time in it's life! Every spring, around here, we have little finches raising babies in and around our deck. It just kills me to see our cats laying in wait for the fledglings :( and, yes, many are killed.

This past spring, I happened to be looking out the window when one took off from it's nest and landed on the deck. I charged out the door and snatched it up before the cats had a chance. I put it in a cage that I hung under overhang of the deck, I hung it so the door of the cage faced up. The mama/papa came to continue to feed it, they all flew the coup within about 3 days :). I actually got to see it happen so I know it wasn't eaten by the dang cats!