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I own no land, instead I have wheelestate. I’ve been a full time RVer since 1997. Working summers as a Park Ranger takes me to many beautiful places and playing during the winter takes me to many more. This blog is simply the story of my life's adventures.

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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Crazy Doves


How does one sex a bird? I mean there’s no obvious way to know if the doves are male or female. Just the word from the last owners that there’s one of each. I can’t even tell them apart.

Three weeks after the first four Christmas eggs didn’t hatch Don and Angie, guess I’ll stick with those names, began laying again. Last Saturday one egg, then Sunday number two but it had a chip in the shell.

By Monday morning three eggs but by afternoon only one left (they eat these unfertile eggs).

Tuesday morning no eggs and by afternoon they’re starting over again with one egg. This makes a grand total of eight dove eggs with, so far, no babies. Sure have to give them credit for trying.

15 comments:

Unknown said...

Gosh, didn't know they ate the eggs that wouldn't hatch. I had a pair of hamsters and the female ate her babies, apparently because she felt threatened. Disgusted me....

Hope these doves end up with a junior or two.

Unknown said...

That's me, Bibi, from a different account. :)

Jo said...

Oh wow, Gaelyn, I thought my bird book (here in N/Africa) would be able to tell how to tell the sexes apart. Not so. I think they are alike - in SA they are. Imagine the perseverance this gorgeous pair is showing. I do hope they hatch at least one baby.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Gaelyn: that has to get frustrating after to many attempts.

Quiet Paths said...

They seem so tame; but maybe not quite getting into the whole egg laying thing. Really interesting post!

The Good Life in Virginia said...

got to give them positive kudos for not giving up...practice makes perfect.
have a wonderful day!

Quiet Paths said...

Oh I see, he is keeping the doves...

Diane AZ said...

Aw, I love the sleepy eyelids in the first shot. My guess is since you're seeing four eggs each time you probably have two females laying two eggs each.

Unknown said...

now this has got my curiosity up, so I am going to do some googling today to see if I can get an answer for you!

The Giraffe Head Tree said...

Persistence is key! Good luck birdies!

Jazz said...

It's not about the eggs, it's about the sex.

Dawn Fine said...

Well..I had no idea ..about the eating of the infertile eggs and such.I hope these two have some luck..look forward to seeing a babe...

Janie said...

Hmm, all that laying and no chicks might make a person think Don and Angie are both girls...
Didn't know they ate the infertile eggs.

Jeannette StG said...

Frustrating! I've seen the opposite in our (old) yard one year. Wish I had taken pics of it, but I wasn't blogging then.
The doves on a pillar underneath the patio cover got two babies - raised them till they could fly, and not much later (a few weeks?) they had two babies again!

Rambling Woods said...

Boy they need to eat them to replace all that calcium..I don't know how to sex these birds... a google search might help?

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