Today my youngest was in the garden with me and as such the collard dove left the nest. Well she must have had a stalker as a couple of hours after she left there was some commotion in the apple tree and when I turned to investigate I saw two crows and a magpie attempting to get at the nest and its contents. As our presence is the reason the collard dove keeps leaving the nest I chased the crows and magpie out of the tree, the crows left completely but the magpie remained close by in another tree. I checked the nest and saw all was well, warned the magpie to stay away and went to get something out of the greenhouse. I was gone for all of 30 seconds no kidding!! and when I returned the magpie was gone, something told me to check the nest and when I did I noticed the egg was no longer in the center of the nest but now at the side, so I got a stool to take a further look and well the picture says it all.
When I returned home from the school run an hour and a half later there was not even any shell to be seen.
The doves are still around, I've see and heard them while I was working in the garden this afternoon, so it remains to be seen whether they will try again.
Oh, what a shame. Perhaps they'll give it another go. They don't seem to give up easily.
ReplyDeleteI think they must be first timers, especially considering their poor nesting site.
ReplyDeleteIts like we have our very own soap opera, when the working and school members of the family return home in the evening the first thing they ask is; whats new re the collard doves.
LOL. Who needs Coronation Street eh?
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