Monday, October 30, 2006

Dove Story

We have a cute Dove story to share. Everyone who has ever stayed at Palm Creek knows we are inundated with Mourning Doves. In spite of the fact that their "leavings" can be a nuisance, they're still a pretty bird and are very entertaining to watch. Don and I went to get our RV out of storage and discovered that mama dove had made a nest on the top of our awning. Our first intent was just to pull down the nest and throw it away, but lo and behold, the nest contained a baby. Drat! Can't just throw away a baby bird!!! What do we do??

We left the nest in its spot and VERY slowly drove the RV over to our park model so we could get it loaded for our trip to Mexico. When we got here, mama was gone but baby was still in the nest so we very gently took baby and nest and placed them behind a tree across the street where it would be somewhat protected. We anxiously watched from the kitchen window and sure enough, about a half hour later, mama showed up and took care of her baby. Later that day, they both flew away with baby fluttering his best to soar. We don't know for certain that he survived, but our conscience was clear in that we did what we could under the circumstances. End of story.


Speaking of bird stories: Our burrowing owls across the street from the park entrance are still there, alive and doing well. The construction has edged even closer to their burrow, but no one has harmed them or scared them away yet. Linda Balzan and I have been in touch with a Wildlife Foundation that will be in charge of moving the owls should someone buy the land for improvements. The Foundation promises to let us know when moving day comes so we can be there to take pictures. Before the owls can be moved, there is a mountain of paperwork and expenses to be paid by whoever owns the land. It will be interesting to watch and see how things develop. Will keep you posted with any updates.