Wednesday, September 29, 2010

RIP Little Chick

For the last few years we've had resident doves in our back garden, and this year a pair built their nest right outside our back door on top of the light. Not really a great place because there's not much room but it was nice and secluded from the weather. We were very excited when she laid two eggs and we've been watching them over the last couple of weeks.

Yesterday afternoon, the doves were nowhere in sight and when we went outside to investigate we found half an egg shell on the ground. And then, some distance from the broken egg shell, we found a tiny chick.


Sooo sad. It was still soft. The other egg has been abandoned and we can't work out what happened. This afternoon the doves are back, but they're not going anywhere near their nest.

We buried the chick in a matchbox next to the grape vine.

5 comments:

AJ Blythe said...

Christina, something similar happened to us earlier this year. We had a pair of doves nest right outside my office window. They had one egg and took turns fetching food and sitting on the egg, then one day they just left! A few times they came back but to the end of the branch - not near their egg/nest. Then they stopped coming.

I wonder what it is?

Christina Phillips said...

I don't know, Anita. There were no cats around and it had been a quiet day. It had been lovely watching them take turns on the nest. Maybe they'll try again and have better luck!

practimom said...

How sad. We had the same thing happen to some bunnies when i moved into my house. the mom died under mysterous circumstances and we kep them alive for a couple of days, but they all ended up dying. Their eyes were not even open when we found them.

Christina Phillips said...

practimom, oh that's so sad. They must have been sooo tiny.

All’sReads said...

Ooooooh. Christina, the little chick's parents would thank you too for the care if they knew/could.