FLIMSY NEST

While I wrote about the Red-eyed Dove in October last year, I did not mention that these birds are monogamous and tend to mate for life. The fact that they are territorial may explain why I seldom see more than one pair at a time feeding in our garden.

The nest of the Red-eyed Dove is built by the female, using nesting material brought by the male. This usually consists of twigs and grass and is typically built on a horizontal tree fork, three to four metres above ground.

Now I have read that the nest is a fairly substantial platform of twigs with a shallow central depression, lined with grass and other fine soft material. The one in our fig tree looks anything but substantial – in fact I wonder if it has even been lined with anything other than faith.

I cannot see what the female is protecting in that flimsy concoction of hers – after all, it is practically see-through! There should be up to two eggs which will be incubated by both parents for just over a fortnight, after which we should be able to tell if the chicks have hatched. It will be a wonder if they survive.

Perhaps this nest is the result of a pair of novice parents; time will tell.

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