...as the parents came in to introduce their new baby.
It is a little Laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis) and it is a real pretty little critter.
We had not seen the mom for a few weeks, as they come to eat here every day, and only the male arrived to eat. But now it has all become clear to us why only the male arrived, as the mother was on the nest and the little one was born so she looked after it until it was strong enough to leave the nest. I keep on saying that it was one little dove, and we had a lovely surprise that you will see in here.
This was when I first saw the little one.
Both parents were eating four times a day instead of the old only twice. During the mom's absence the dad would eat a lot and now we know why as he also fed the mom on the nest every day.
Here's the surprise, not one but two little babies. Just imagine that. No wonder the parents are now eating so much, as they have many mouths to feed. Two babies to feed and two adults to feed.
The laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis) is a small pigeon that is a resident breeder in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Western Australia where it has established itself in the wild after being released from Perth Zoo in 1898. This small long-tailed dove is found in dry scrub and semi-desert habitats where pairs can often be seen feeding on the ground. It is closely related to the spotted dove (Spilopelia chinensis) which is distinguished by a white and black chequered necklace. Other names include laughing turtle dove, palm dove and Senegal dove while in Asia the name little brown dove is often used.
In any case, let's have a look at what the mom did to the baby here below.
She jumped up on to the pot and it was too steep for the baby to also jump up.
So, for a while, the baby was clueless about what to do.
So, the baby flew up to sit on the palisade fence.
And from the fence it landed in a thorn tree at the front of our house.
Early the next morning I looked for it in the thorn tree, and it was not there, but I know that their nest is in a tree across the road, so maybe it went in there as we haven't seen them since. The thing about the babies is that as soon as they learn to feed themselves, then the parents chase them away from the food. It is also when we stop feeding as the babies have to learn to feed in nature.
It is the first time for us to see two babies, as normally every season they only have one. But now they are the proud parents of twins, and we know that they will manage and that the twins will survive. I know that people catch these little babies and then they raise them as pets in cages, because they are so cute, but then they grow up into adults and in many cases, they are taken to pet shops.
Such is life.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
Until next time, cheers!
