We have twins..The Stork (Dove actually) came
visiting….
A spotted dove bird perched in an elegant and
confident stance in a potted plant on our terrace ledge. I wondered how it had
placed itself so close to the door. Was it hungry or hurt? Proximity to humans
didn’t seem to bother the dove. My queries were soon answered when we
discovered the dove had laid two tiny eggs in the potted plant!
We were
amazed and concerned at the same time. A terrace ledge is a place exposed to
prowling cats and monkeys who could easily prey on the eggs! But any kind of
protection we provided could have led to the mother dove abandoning the eggs or
not being able to access them. The Dove got used to our passing by her
territory. She did not even flinch or blink when we passed by or even stared at
her unique nest.
‘Google Baba’
came in handy, providing information about the nesting and breeding habits of
doves and pigeons. It said Breeding: monogamous nests all year, 1-2 white
eggs.
But if the
mother dove remains perched like this 24/7 protecting/ warming her egg, what
about her nourishment and that of her chicks once they hatched. I read that while
most birds meet their chicks’ protein needs with insects, doves feed their
newly hatched chicks, their fat and protein-rich “crop milk.” This whitish
fluid comes from liquid-filled cells that slough off the lining of the crop, a
portion of the esophagus. After 5 or 10 days, the chicks switch to a diet of
regurgitated seeds or fruit.
Our family became
self proclaimed local guardians of those eggs. Days and nights passed, a week
plus and the determined Dove sat there stoically the time. And Lo! On the 10th
or 11th day we saw two tiny, feeble hairy chicks that had hatched, the mother
bird sitting lightly on them, covering them with her plume. Their chirping
would attract a stray cat I feared, but the chicks were completely
noiseless. Then on day 5 after the
chicks had hatched I noticed the Dove looking a little different, or was I just
imagining? But my doubt wasn’t entirely baseless-- the dove perched on the chicks
would get startled every time any of us passed by. And then I found another
dove bird who took the place of the one in the Pot. Oh, the daddy bird was
helping out the mommy bird to rest and recuperate and had taken her place, no
wonder it was fidgety- it wasn’t as used to us as its partner was.
Come morning and
one or all the four of us would
be on the terrace checking on the
chicks progress or praying for
their safety and marveling
at Nature’s phenomenon that had us
mesmerized. “Don’t make noise, don’t ring the bell, don’t get your
friends to play on the terrace”, were words we exchanged with the kids. As the
chicks grew in strength, their needle like yellow hair gave way to tiny soft
feathers. We saw the parent birds feed them crop milk, but the parents perching time reduced gradually, till it came down to just
one hour early in the morning for a feed and intermittent checking on the chicks well being.
Then one day
I found the twin chicks playing a game of sorts.... they would just climb on
each other’s backs - like a piggy back ride. It was cute and funny. What were
they learning something new, I wondered aloud to the kids. The chicks were now nibbling
off bits of the plant’s leaves that were home to them. They might just fly off
any day now, I thought. And as if it were just to say good bye to me, early one
morning when I went to water the plants, the chicks began hovering. My joy knew
no bounds; I rushed in to call my hubby and kids to witness the chick’s maiden
flight. By the time I came back one had flown off. The next one too took off
immediately thereafter… I felt extremely happy but then noticed my eyes
moistening…. The ‘empty nest’ will happen to us one day too……
Thoughts
that came to my mind with memories of those chicks- nature takes it course, the
mother bird knew when to let go. The chicks strove to fly off and managed to do
so successfully when the time was right. It was like Nature was telling me to
chill and enjoy what came my way, to let go and to cherish moments. That’s
exactly what I do as I stare into that potted plant. I do miss those birds but
at the same time feel grateful and blessed we were able to witness a marvel of
nature at such close proximity.
