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.