Both parents

This gets very funny. One dove has been on nest. Second parent arrives. There's no joyful greeting, no hugging. A couple of "coos" and then setting dove departs for 12 hours. Bye bye birdy. This is from three days ago.

Growing baby

Pink? Has the egg hatched? Is it a girl?  No, it's a magnolia blossom.

Second adult watches from nearby tree

I have no idea what's going on with the egg. It's the wrong timing for an egg. If it were viable it would already have hatched.

There's lots of sitting and pecking going on up there.

Adult pecks at egg. Even baby pegging at egg. Very strange.

Yikes, I can see a hole in that egg. Are they eating the egg? Egg shell is a source of calcium. Is it a hole from outside in our inside out? Can't tell.

Both parents on nest. Time for changing of the guard.

Lots of feeding

These are from the 3rd, pre-egg.  The parents are so attentive.

Total surprise

The way the light hits the dove nest changes from minute to minute.  I concentrate on the behavior,

The parent is eating fecal matter. A clean dove nest? Never.

Wait a minute! I'm seeing the baby at the front, but there's something else under that parent. An egg???

Oh my goodness. There's an egg up there. Usually a first hatch is followed by a second hatch within 48 hours. This is much longer than that. When laid? No idea. One day no egg. Next day an egg.

Now what. Is this a viable egg? This will be fun to watch. This is the first time I've seen an egg in a dove's nest. Two babies in this sparse narrow nest would be risky.

Regulars downstairs

The magnolias last only one week, then the air is filled with falling pinks leaves

It will take hours of watching to sort out what's happening in the dove nest. I have seen one baby.

Fat house sparrows

Getting  plumb song sparrows

I'm masked. I wonder what the birds think. Am I a marauder?

The 600mm lens takes me high in the tree. Cardinal eating seeds from blossoms.

Typical dove position, protecting baby and whatever else is up there.

Time to catch up

There's a huge amount of catching up to do. Nothing exceptional in the garden, but interesting dove, robin, sparrow activity. The doves are nesting on the light fixture. There were twigs on the fuse box twice, but now no twigs and no activity.

Not many robins downstairs, but those who are here are bulking up and mostly male.