Collared Dove Nesting a Welcome Distraction

Eurasian Collared-Dove

Eurasian Collared-Doves (Streptopelia decaocto) are not my favorite birds.  It is an invasive species, meaning it is not native to the island, much like the Green Monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus).  Invasive species compete with native ones for resources, such as food, nesting, etc. and can adversely affect an ecosystem.  These birds have spread across the island, and the region at an alarming rate and became not just the most dominant dove, but also the most numerous bird species in some areas of the island. 

Hearing my rambling,  I guess you will be surprised to hear about the daily attention I paid to a nesting pair in a cherry tree outside my bedroom window.  I blamed it on being confined to a small lot of land, my house and yard,  for more than a month, because of COVID-19.  

April 5th: female sitting on the nest

I first noticed them renovating an existing nest, no doubt from an earlier nesting. Both birds worked together bringing twigs and methodically positioned them on the nest.  In no time two eggs were in the nest and both birds took turns in the incubation process.  The female spends most of the day on the nest while the male took over in the evening.  One afternoon I observed that the male was slow to take up his shift, she flew from the nest to a tree not too far away, and with a low call, she hastened him to his post.  

April 10: She is not sitting on the nest properly

On the afternoon of April 10th, I noticed that she was not sitting on the nest properly, and there was no exchange of duties. It was only the next day that I realized why, two chicks were now in the nest.  

Parent leaving the nest on 12th

The hatchlings

April 12th: My first sighting of the two hatchlings.  Their had large bills, with sparse, yellowish feathers about the body, the proverbial ugly duckling.

   

April 14th: Not a good image of one of the feeding 

On the 14th I tried to get images of the feeding. Both parents feed the chicks with what is referred to as pigeon milk or crop milk. It is a secretion from the lining of the crop of a parent birds that is regurgitated directly into the chicks mouth.

April 16th: softer plumage 

The nestlings are growing at an alarming rate. On the 16th the sparse, yellowish feathers gave way to a more palish softer plumage.
      

April 17th: An adult by the nest, 
the primary of a nestling 

On the 17th I got a glance of the primary feathers of one of the nestlings. These are important feathers for flight which  means these birds will be leaving the nest soon.

April 19th: perch just outside of the nest  

On the afternoon of the 19th, I was surprised to see the fledglings perched on a branch just outside of the nest. They both looked healthy and alert, even preening momentarily and stretching wings, all good signs.  

April 22nd: the lone bird in the Cherry Tree

Early morning on April 22nd, we were paid a visit by a troop of Green Monkeys. When I came out to check on the fledglings I was horrified to find one of them missing from the Cherry tree.  A Bananaquits (Coereba flaveola) nest, that was being constructed in the tree, was destroyed.  Green Monkeys are notorious egg raiders and are known to prey on the chicks of birds, so I feared the worse. I was happy when my son found it in the nearby Mango tree. 

2nd bird relocating to the mango tree

April 22: The last bird flew the coop

The fledglings can fly and I missed the flight of the first one but got the second bird, just barely.

One of the fledglings in the mango tree

Both birds still hang around in the mango tree and are still being fed by the parents. I will try to share more images as they continue to mature over time. This was a welcome distraction during this month-long curfew but it did not change my feelings for the Eurasian Collared-Doves. It is still one of my least favorite birds.

Stay Safe, practice physical distancing, and continue to enjoy your birding where ever and how ever it may be.