The wild birds were very active out there as soon as I opened the blinds! The gorgeous little swallow is perched up above the nesting box with his head on a swivel, making sure nothing can get to his mate inside.
Nothing can really get to her, but he’s still being protective, which is adorable.
The collared doves would probably love to steal their eggs if given a chance, though. It’s a daily battle with them and the robins and this morning I watched as a mourning dove valiantly fought a collared dove away from the little pond out front.
I wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about until I realized she’d brought her fledgling down out of the pine tree to visit…
What a little cutie!
It seemed unsure of what to do, so it didn’t do much. A sparrow landed and offered to show the little guy how to take a quick bath…
But the dove baby wasn’t interested and just kept an eye on Momma who, after chasing off the mean collared dove wasn’t far away the entire time. She saw me at the window but didn’t seem at all bothered by my presence…
It’s funny how they get used to us humans and I try to keep a respectful distance because I don’t want to upset them. They already have enough to deal with between the hawks, starlings and collared doves!
Not to mention the neighbor’s cat who also loves to visit the pond.
The other day I scared it when I opened the window to snap a picture of him and he fell in then ran off and hasn’t been back since. 😄
Empty Nest Homesteading 
I had a mated pair of mourning doves who laid their eggs in my hanging basket on my porch in western NC for 4 years. I’m not sure where they went when we moved because I don’t think the new owner has hanging baskets. I didn’t know they ate other birds eggs 🤯 I loved them.
I wish I were a better photographer. I would love to catch good photos of all my birds here, especially my Great Horned Owl and my Barred Owl that visit in the autumn frequently.
I love the little bird on the perch, he’s so adorable.😍
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The collared doves don’t seem to eat the eggs, they just grab them and drop them as they fly off. I think they are nest stealing more than anything or trying to discourage other birds from reproducing to protect their perceived habitat. They are super aggressive to the mourning doves, robins and our quail!
I bet if you tried you could easily get good shots of your local birds! I have zero photography skills and just use the auto setting on my camera so it does the work for me lol.
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Oh that’s good to know, I didn’t want to think my doves were mean.
And maybe I’ll try that.
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Thank you for sharing your wonderful pictures and bird stories.
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