I had seen this dove a few times and I knew she was planning to lay eggs, I tried to shoo her everytime I saw. All the nest building and egg laying happened in one day when we were out and the balcony door was closed all day. She also knew we had a cat and still went ahead and laid eggs here. Now my cat is fixated since morning. I don't want to hurt the bird but I know my cat may do it. I cannot keep the door closed for the entire time as I have other plants to care for and I have also been preparing for a winter/spring decor with lots of flowers. I just don't know what to do now..
by Hardwiredbrain
23 Comments
You could try moving the nest to a nearby spot. If it’s not going to succeed anyway, you might as well! It can be safely done if you’re very gentle and keep it close. It’s a myth that the parents will abandon the nest if they smell you.
Personally, I had some house finches make a nest in a hanging spider plant on my balcony and decided to leave it. It was so cool to watch the chicks grow. I snuck in to very carefully water the plant about once a week, while the parents were both away. The chicks grew up, the nest was abandoned, and my spider plant was a little worse for the wear but perked right up.
So maybe, if you can move the plant itself to a better spot for a few weeks, the parents can find it there and raise the babies?
Right now your best move is to protect the eggs without stressing the parents.
A few things you can do….,.,.,.,
Put a light barrier around the plant so your cat physically cannot reach it. Even a temporary mesh or cardboard shield works.
Keep the cat out whenever the doves are actively visiting. Once the parents notice repeated cat stalking they may abandon the nest.
Try to keep your plant care quick and minimal for the next two weeks. Dove eggs hatch in about 14 to 16 days and the babies leave the nest pretty fast after that.
Don’t move the nest. They’ll abandon it if you relocate it.
Give your cat enrichment somewhere else so it stops fixating.
It’s a short inconvenience but it keeps everyone alive. After the babies grow up and fly away, remove the nest so she doesn’t try this stunt again in spring.
Not sure where you are, but where I am it’s illegal to interfere once eggs are in the nest. That being said, doves are notorious for nesting in stupid places and they have done this to me. I removed a new nest 3 days in a row and on the 4th day she laid eggs in the dirt of one of my planters, without a nest. It was a horrible spot for me to have nesting birds, so I plucked the egg out and threw it away. I know, I know, shame on me, but I did it. Then I put some foil in my planters to deter her and she never came back.
[deleted]
Cant help but suggest r/stupiddovenests
https://preview.redd.it/906aegtufr2g1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c8a7ca9b7033d6a339cb46e2031b46853a189fcc
*clearly thinking about how to get to nest*
Omg stupid suicidal dove mama. I would move the nest outside your balcony if you can find a spot. I am guessing moving the pothos somewhere your cat can’t reach within the balcony is not an option so you will have to remove the nest and the eggs only. Maybe another extra pot or some less precious plant that you have.
I mean it is really silly of them to try and raise babies right next to the predator. Moving them would just be the safest thing you can do for everybody. And if they abandon the nest and can’t find it or whatever it’s not on you, you will have saved the mama and papa birds’ lives. You cannot keep guard for them 24/7 and go on with your life.
I also recommend r/balconybabies if you’d like to see others who have had similar scenarios
Doves are amazing parents and will do everything. All you have to do is ensure the space is cat free and safe. They can have multiple batches of eggs a season so it will be over soon. My only worry is once the babies hatch they will sometimes fly to the ground when learning for a couple days while parents feed them there on the ground. They usually fly off after that- then you can move the plant or even keep it there and the parents might come back for the next batch if you like.
https://preview.redd.it/46spvkpikr2g1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08212430df906f548e7465454195e21b2e37a135
Ha! This was me this summer. Robins creeped into my fern and stayed for weeks! Of all the trees nearby… I left the eggs alone, took down the plant on watering days & even rotated it okay. (It was on my porch.) I got to see the babies too! For almost six more weeks. 😵💫 In the end, I removed the nest after the babies were gone. Fern has a bit of a bald spot but it’s doing nicely still. 🤞🏼
Let it ride, don’t blame yourself if they don’t survive. That’s just how it goes.
https://preview.redd.it/hg0kbfmhmr2g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3fe6a96a16868df75d9cf88f27a210df8f18a8f0
Having gone through this exact scenario 3 times, here is my advice.
First decide if you’re really ok with a nest existing there. There will be 2 babies and 2 adults, the adults will take shifts. This generates a LOT of poop. There will be massive blobs of poop from the mother, who holds her poop in and only releases outside of the nest. Unfortunately, outside means your floor or walls or other plants. Once the poop dries and hardens, it is near impossible to scrape off the remnants without using chemicals. So you either clean diligently, or accept having poop stains for the rest of time.
If you are not ok, move the whole pot ASAP to a place as nearby as possible, but in a spot where you don’t mind poop. Having front row seats to watch the whole process is honestly fascinating and a once in a lifetime opportunity. Otherwise, you can do what I did and pad the whole area with newspapers.
And yeah you are also going to need to cat proof the nest. The mother will be extremely protective of the eggs and the babies, and will retaliate if your cat comes too close. Fathers on the other hand are total wusses and will fly away leaving the fledglings to defend themselves.
Now if you allow the nest to exist, you must be prepared for death. The reason why they lay eggs in twos because the survival rate is pretty much exactly 50%. There is a very high chance that one fledgling will die, because if the parent senses any weakness in one fledgling, it will toss it out of the nest to die. It does this to raise the survival possibility of the other fledgling to 100%, cos it now only needs to hunt enough for one baby. Yes, you will wake up one morning to see a still-alive fledgling on the floor, if your cat hasn’t already got to it.
Once you’re prepared for all this, get ready to enjoy the show. It’s fantastic. Set up an old phone or camera to record time lapse videos, so that you can see how the parents change shifts, feed the kids, and other stuff.
Put on a webcam and monetize the stream 😉
I had the same thing happen in a spider plant I had hanging on my patio in California. One baby fell out and didn’t make it, but the other did and it didn’t take very long. They grow really fast after they hatch!
I had a yellow vented bulbul (a type of songbird) nest in my plants for several years running. They were really sweet and the babies were the cutest balls of fluff once their feathers started growing in. But I guess they were different to doves because these birds don’t poop at the nest, so the surrounding area continued to be really clean
omlete 🍳
I have zero useful advice in this scenario but would like to remark that I see photos of cats online every day of my life and even I have rarely seen nefarious cat scheming depicted in such an idyllic way. The light, plants, and pastel colours in the second photo are so charming to me! I hope you get some good ideas, as this clearly adorable cat seemingly living in heaven is very much up to no good.
Nothing, leave it to the cat, she’ll deal with it.🏞️
Let er buck
The cat wants to make an omelette
You can shift the nest at some safe place away from the cat.
Don’t touch the eggs, otherwise those will be abandoned.
Apparently pothos are great for this, a finch built a nest in my snow queen!
Ring a wildlife rehabber. Don’t touch the nest.