Two days ago, this little baby, who was far too small to be out of the nest, was still around. That was a week after the actual fledging. His fellow fledgling was noticably days ahead of him in feathering out and feeding himself. The parents had moved on. That's the end of dove adventures until next spring. I hope this baby makes it. He so obviously is trying hard to fend for himself. He will lose his "punk" hair in a day or two.
Oh, poor little baby. Did he make it?
ReplyDeleteCan you leave him any goodies to help him while he makes the transition? I fret about these vulnerable little creatures (and I know you do, too) .
ReplyDelete:-)
Yes, I am pretty sure he did make it, Nikki and Sarah-hope. Thanks for your comments. It's sweet, indeed, to know so many caring people in the blogisphere.
ReplyDeleteI saw BD again 2 days ago, on the 3rd. He would be three days older now, and fully feathered out, so he would have found his flock to hang with by now.
The flock would know all the water holes and the food stations, one if which is right behind me in my neighbor's yard. And then is the one across the street from her, too. We have some amazing habitat providers clustered together, here.
Baby doves that fledge here have many nearby tall trees to stay in at night which provide high cover, too, from owls. He was a good little flyer, two days ago, and had lost most of those baby feathers. :o) Think of BD as being in the big urban park that's nearby, happily flying with his flock.