Here at the house, I think it was 3 years ago a robin built a nest in one of my windows. We watched the robin chicks grow up and take off, as well as I remember she hatched 3 or 4 peeps. I may have posted pictures of them here on the forum?

About 3 weeks ago I noticed a bird fluttering around in the same window, it was a dove. The next day I noticed that a dove was sitting on the same nest. Everytime that I'd look at her, she had her eyes closed. I mean we were right there 10 inches apart.

About a week ago, my daughter confirmed that we had one baby dove chick. Tiny little thing. Then it was confirmed we had 3 peeps, now we're up to 4. At one time they were about the size of a hummingbird, and their heads looked very similar.

Yesterday I was trying to get a picture of them, and another adult dove landed and I got to watch the chicks get fed. I was reading, and learned about "dove milk". I just checked the nest, they are starting to look like doves now. I'm not sure, but I think they'll be flying in another day or 2. They've grown fast.

Every year, I have a wren build a nest in my shop. They go in and out of the building through a 2X2 hole in the bottom of the garage door. We have phoebes build nests all around the place. A favorite place is on top of the outside light on one side of our back door. I let one finish her nest a couple of years ago. What a mess! They use a lot of mud, and she spattered mud all over the siding. She sat that nest and raised her chicks with the back door opening and closing not two feet away. After that I put a screen guard over the light. Now they have glued a nest to the tiny ledge above the bathroom window on the back side of the house. We don't care so much about the mud back there.

I was taking pictures again this morning, got to see the chicks fed again. Looked like a fight going on. Dove milk. They're flapping their wings now.

I've got Carolina wrens out back, I see them about every day. Part of my morning routine is to check the temperature and look at the sky for the real time forecast. About 3 weeks ago, I noticed 2 wrens chasing each other around, and watched them mating in the tree just out the back door. 12 or 15 feet away. I haven't looked for their nest, but they are here someplace.

I have a night light out back, and it'll attract bugs. Now, I've been getting some kind of light gray moths, and I'll tell you those little Carolina wrens are ferocious when it comes down to a moth. Between the wrens and the sparrows, a moth doesn't stand a chance out back.

Wrens are aggressive little carnivores.

We've warmed up to 34* now, was blowing snow about all day Wednesday. The chicks are shoulder to shoulder, and about the size of a sparrow. I showed them to a couple friends yesterday.

Well, had 33* again this morning, the chicks have flown the coop. As well as I could tell they were all in the nest, right at daylight. The last chick was sitting a twig, about a foot from the nest, looking like it wanted to go, but didn't. I flicked the mini-blinds and watched it's maiden flight. It fluttered out about 50 feet and landed, sit there preening itself for a couple minutes. There were 2 of them sitting there like they wanted the other one to feed each other.

I showed them to a couple other friends yesterday. If I'd had them another day or 2, I was going to put up a sign: "Bird Nest here", with an arrow pointing to the window.

But it's been fun watching the little birds, and they look like doves now.

That didn't take long.

Yesterday morning I noticed a dove kind of "float" past the kitchen window, I went out to check the nest, sure enough it was one of the chicks, standing in the nest. Looking at it from a foot away, I'd say it's tail feathers are 4 inches long. Side by side with one of the adults, it'd be hard to tell them apart.

I'm planning on painting this place this summer, if I do, the nest has got to go. Thinking about giving it to one of my school teacher friends. Proven robin & dove nest.

You could remove the nest and then put it back after the paint job.

I thought about that too. You see, the nest is in some kind of climbing shrub/viney bush thing. I forget the name of the plant, but it's been growing up the side of the house for 20 years, and it really should come down.

Breaking news: Yesterday 4/28, there were 3 doves in the window. I did see one of them land with a leaf, and tucked it into the nest. The nest was vacant there for a little bit and there were no eggs.

Last night after work a dove was sitting in the nest, it was still sitting there before daylight this morning. A half hour ago she was up out of the nest, and now there is an egg. I just checked, she's sitting on it right now.

The egg is about the size of a marble or a little bit bigger. This time we'll find out how long it does take for them to hatch and fly the coop.

5/2/21, there are 2 eggs in the nest.

5/6/21, still 2 eggs. The other night there were 2 adults sitting in the nest, usually it's just one. I see where they're doing some repairs, seems like everyday there is something new, that's been recently added to the nest.

5/7/21, the nest is empty.

Last evening I checked the nest, didn't see any birds and the eggs were gone. The nest touches my window glass and it seems that the grass and stuff they were adding made the nest shallow.

The other night when there were 2 adults in and on the nest, the one was perched on the outside rim, and had it squished down. Maybe a puff of wind hit them?, but the eggs rolled out. I found one egg under the bush, it didn't survive the fall. The egg was a little bigger than I thought, it would have been about 3/4's of an inch long. I showed it to my daughter and then took it back outside and gave it a fling. Another couple of days and we'd have had peeps.

So much for that experiment and I was just getting ready to make up a "Bird nest here" sign!

Well, since this thread is for the birds, (pun intended), here's an update from camp on Mama Phoebe. She's back. Same place as last year, above the storage door on the back side of the privy. Was gonna sweep away the empty nest, but the humanitarian in me stopped me. Before I left camp, I scrutinized the nest again, and now there's a reason for the nest.

Using the mirror was a clever idea.

Yes, good idea.

Kind of hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like the nest is hanging on by a thread too. I'm sure the Momma bird would appreciate a piece of 2x2 up under the nest.

I forget where I heard this, but they say there is a popular trend these days for people to put their own hair outside for building material. You know, get your hair cut, take the trimmings and dump it where the birds will find it.

Here's an update on the update. Just came back from camp. Mama Phoebe is sitting on a clutch of five eggs. Out hunting during the day and sitting at night. Been hot so maybe not worried about keeping them eggs warm. Also, was up with one of my daughters. She has a lot better hearing than me, so she's always telling me she is hearing some sort of engine noise. Turns out to be a grouse drumming for love. I know of a drumming log just behind one of our stacks of firewood. At the sound, we snuck up and peered over the stack. Was about 15 feet from the dude when he started beating them wings. Most folks only see this on film. She was really excited watching, although we were in a fog of skitters!

It's usually tough to find the drumming grouse because they see you coming and leave. You should get some photos.

Yeah, I got a video of him with my camera (not a smart phone) but am unable to download it like a photo so can't share it.

Engine noise. Yes, that was a very cool experience for both of you.

Ruffed grouse are a pretty bird, with about the best camoflage in the world. They are just about a thing of the past in this area. This past season I did see 3, one single and 2 together. One on one mountain and the other 2 ten miles away, we still have a few.

Did hear a whip-poor-will the other morning, first one I've heard for a while.

Got this one pic of Mr. Grouse. Seems everyone wants to paint things brown or green when trying to camo them in the woods. But gray seems to just blend in and disappear. And it looks like he's used that drumming log before by the missing moss where he's doing his thing. Also, you can have them whippoorwills. They're almost as noisy to me as a blue jay. At two in the morning sitting in a tree above the cabin. I went out one year with a flashlight and a .410 looking for that bird. It managed to disappear before I could silence it. Their call is supposed to mimic their name, but I'm hearing 'HEY WAKE UP STUPID-HEY WAKE UP STUPID'.

Years ago I had a grouse sneak up on me. I was hunting around the side of the mountain, stopped to watch across a bench for a while. I was sitting there watching, I'd hear a little something in the leaves, I'd look and there's nothing there. Little bit later I'd hear something again, I'd glance that way and there's nothing there. It's hard to pinpoint one little sound.

I guess it jumped off of a rock or log and took about 3 steps, I put an eye on it that time. It was out about 25 yards, just feeding along. Once I found it, I could keep track of it, I sat there watched it till it walked out of sight. They do blend in very good.

One of you guys ought to start up a new company and put out a line of digital "grouse-o-flage" camo.

They do blend in quite well. The only ones I've ever killed were while I was squirrel hunting.

The grouse around here are not as wary as those more south. It is a lot of fun when you spook a covey and then you hunt them in the trees. They can be tough to spot.

You guys that have a good population of grouse are fortunate. It's been years and years since I've seen more than 3 together.

Above Frank was telling us about his "drumming log". I'll tell you a story that Dad told me/us years ago. I've heard the story more than once.

Dad was just a kid, living out on the farm with his parents and all. (my brother lives in Granddad's house now) Dad said there was a grouse drumming over on the next ridge, across from the house.

Dad set off with intentions of killing the thing. Dad said the grouse could hear him in the leaves and before he could get within range or get a shot the bird flushed.

Dad went back to the house and got a rake or a broom?, went back over there and made himself a little trail up to the where he needed to be.

I forget, a day or 2 later the grouse was over there drumming again. Dad said he went up the new path and slipped right up on it, and killed it that time. Figure back in the 1930's, I'll bet that grouse looked pretty good on the table.

Smooth. Did the same rake trick while bow hunting years ago. Short grass hill thick with fallen leaves leading up to trees. Raked a swatch a couple feet wide. The guys thought I was nuts. Two days later, I slowly, quietly, snuck up on a white tail. The guys didn't think I was nuts when they helped me drag her back to camp!

Frank.

I once met a guy with a lawn mower in the bush. He was mowing a trail smooth so his 80 something year old father could walk to the blind safely.

I remember that you told us before about the young man trimming out his Dad's trail. That just shows how much he cares for his father, and realizes that his hunting days are coming to an end.

That brings back lots of memories. I think about my Dad, back when I was a kid, he'd do about everything for me. There for a good many years (not nearly enough) we were about even up. Then it got to the point where I was doing pretty much everything for Dad. The "circle of life".

It's about the same with my buddy Wardney, he'll tell you that he can't walk, he'll pitch and fall and stumble around. After all of the fun hunts we've had together, it's Wardney's turn to take it easy. I've done it lots of times, I'll tell him "You drop me off here, and take take the truck down to so-and-so and watch. If he kills something, that's fine, if he doesn't that's fine too. At least we got out.

I do not know if the old guy is still alive. I have not seen him or the son in a couple of years. The last week end of moose season and the opening of trapping coincide quite often.

One time partner and I were going down the road setting marten boxes and we come across the dad who had just shot a moose on the road. It wasn't kicking anymore but almost. We dragged it to the side so we could pass. No sooner than we did that, his family started arriving as they were going to their spots.

Very happy family because the old dad had killed.

Well, sounds like the old Dad hammered the moose pretty good, or broke it's spine to drop it in the road. I've heard rumors that moose can be very tough animals.

Wardney is about 25 years older than me, and we've hunted together off and on for years. This past season we didn't get to go out together, cause of the virus and the unknowns. Season before last Wardney and I were sitting up here along the river doe hunting one evening.

A little before sundown a big doe came into the field we were watching, Wardney squared-up and fired a shot and dropped it. I poked him on the shoulder and told him that was a very nice shot. We ranged it, I forget exactly but it was well over 200 yards.

Anyway, we got the truck, circled around the field, up along the river and drove right to the deer. Wardney made a grab for his knife and told him "here, hold up this leg for me". I gutted his deer, we loaded it up and took it to the skinning shed. We had it cleaned up, hosed off and hanging and the steam was still boiling off of the carcass. You know, stuff like that is no big deal, but Wardney is better than 80 years old.

Talking about birds. I found my Carolina wren nest last nigh, I mentioned above that I knew it was here someplace.

About a week ago I was standing at the back door, checking the sky and all, and a small wren landed on the porch. It was right there, 10 feet from me, and I could tell it was small. Wrens are small birds to start with, but this one was tiny.

I've got a little shelf box thing out back, honestly, I don't mess with it very often. About the only thing inside is a jug of brush killer, otherwise just junk. Anyway, I walked by it the other day and a wren came out of nowhere. That happened twice. It's dark back in that box.

Last night after work I took a flashlight and back in the corner of the top shelf, there waa a Carolina wren sitting in it's nest. I knew it was here someplace. Now, we'll be able to keep an eye on them.

I had something similar years ago. In the barn I had an old wood crate nailed to the wall with the opening facing out. I kept garden tools in there. Every year, a wren would build a nest in the back corner of that box.

We've let our bird thread go to the back-burner.

Above I mentioned the wren nest that I found out back, that was 3 months ago. We were keeping a close eye on the nest, my daughter noticed the chicks had hatched first. Just 2 chicks. I'm not sure how this works, if it was the male and female, both feeding the chicks? Or if maybe it was another female from and earlier hatch? But I know for sure there were 2 adult wrens feeding the chicks.

One evening a wren landed beside me, it was right there 4 feet away, it had some kind of grub or caterpillar in it's mouth. I'd guess they found a caterpillar nest in one of the fruit trees, and they were constantly in and out feeding the chicks.

The wrens are no longer using that nest, but I see them about every morning. One morning I had 4 wrens on the porch, that was a few weeks ago, but it was easy to see that 2 of them were smaller.

Do a search: Carolina wren nesting box. I was reading about them the other day, the average weight of a wren is 3/4's of an ounce. One thing that really surprised me, their lifespan is up to 8 or 10 years. They are a neat little bird.

We'll start our dove egg experiment again.

I've been seeing a couple of doves about all winter, sitting on the powerlines or in trees here and there.

For the last week or so, I've been seeing one out back pretty regular. Wednesday, 3/2/22 I noticed a dove sitting in the window nest. Same nest that I've mentioned above. I checked the nest yesterday, looks like it's been rebuilt, and we have one egg.

First egg, 3/3/22. She's on the nest right now.

Is this early or right on time for an egg in your area?

I'd say this is very early for an egg. I had 20* F. yesterday at daylight, 26* this morning. But she's setting.

Old man Rob said that, It always snows on the yellow bushes. Our yellow bushes don't even have a bud yet. Here at the first of March, we're going to have some cold weather before it warms up.

At least 2 eggs in the nest today. 3/11/22. 10:00 am.

Well, it snowed 5 inches here yesterday, and I had a low temp of 14* F. Up to 15* now.

I'm not sure how cold an egg can go and still be fertile? But the dove is snuggled down into that nest as deep as she can get.

We had the same weather as you had 5 inches of snow and 16 degrees outside this morning.
We have a bald eagle cam that the game commission puts on yearly about 1 mile from my house
The eagles begin setting in February in sometimes very cold weather.

A while back someone sent me a link to one of those eagle cams. The bear den cams should be up and going now too.

The way the wind was blowing the other morning, I'll bet it was chilly sitting in that nest at 14*.

We've been checking the dove nest, but she's always snuggled down and you can't see anything.

Well, we've got a dove chick in the nest. And another egg to go.

When I first noticed the momma dove gone, there was a chick, an egg, and half of an egg shell in the nest. By the time I got my camera the other half of the egg shell was gone. So it must have just hatched.

I guess a dove puts off more BTU's than I figured.

Talked to a lady the other day, her daughter raised pigeons, she said that they lay an egg every other day. Not sure? But the chick is a tiny little thing.

What do dove chicks eat this time of year?

Well, I guess the chick that just hatched will be fed "dove milk". I've only watched dove chicks fed just a couple of times. It's stuff that's regurgitated from the mother dove.

I'm sure there are quite a few folks here in town that have bird feeders out. We're back to bare ground now, that last snow only lasted 2 days, here in town. But there is always some kind of grass or weed seed or something out there for them to eat, in the road ditches or fence lines.

I watched a grouse eating birch twigs one time.

Our spring turkey season starts in a month or so? Most times they don't have much in their craw, but I've found pine needles, twigs, old dried up acorn shells and caps. Grass and those little wild onion tops. Pieces of leaves.

Now and then you'll kill one that's just stuffed full of wheat or corn. (It's illegal to bait turkeys here.) You'll get home and clean up that bird, notice it's full of corn, and think. Hmmm, the nearest corn field was 10 miles away, and that field was harvested back in November.

My opinion, turkeys that are fed or baited don't gobble like they should.

3/19/22. The second egg has hatched.

3/24/22, I didn't see the dove chicks yesterday, but their eyes are open now.

I've watched them feed 2 times now. The first time that I did actually watch them eat, their little heads would have been just about the size of a pencil eraser. Maybe a little bit bigger? And I'd guess their wings would have been less than 3/4's of an inch long.

It's hard to see them in the nest, the momma dove pretty much has them covered up most of the time. But they are growing.

Is 2 all they have? Do they raise a second brood?

Thanks!

I think doves can set 2 or 3 times per spring/summer. I'll need to read the entire thread again.

I think it was last spring, a dove hatched 2 or 3 chicks, in this same nest. Then the second time she layed eggs, that's when the sides of the nest were smashed down and the eggs fell out.

A while back Musher posted a video on his Utube channel, forget the name of that issue? But they were banding waterfowl, that was interesting. I was checking out the duck trap.

Here is a recent link that ties rignt into banded ducks. A mallard that was tagged in Canada, was shot down here in West Virginia. And that bird was tagged a long time ago.

https://wvmetronews.com/2022/03/16/hunter-brings-down-an-old-duck-in-lincoln-county/

Old mallard, indeed.

My duck banding videos all have "duck banding" in the title. We get excited when we have a "revenant" appear. That banded mallard was a male. So he followed a female, likely femaleS, back to where they were born for nesting.

Thanks for the link.

I have a few bird bands, not many. But they are a kind of trophy.

Honestly, I don't remember where or when I got my first leg band? That was years ago, we could use lead shot and were asked to mail in the information. Eventually, you'd get a postcard with the info about the bird. If you were lucky. But it is pretty neat.

A long time before the www, doing stuff online and all.

Thinking about it now, I don't remember ever taking a band off of a dove or a crow. I have pigeons. The little small leg bands, the size of a drinking straw, that are not crimped on like you would a goose leg band. I have some that are wrapped in plastic, little tiny print.

I bought my Federal bird stamp, didn't get a chance to go out at all this past season. We don't have waterfowl like over in Virginia or the eastern shore of Maryland.

Well, watched the dove chicks feed again this morning. They're not as big as a sparrow yet, but they are growing.

Well, the nest is empty.

For the last few days, I've noticed that the dove chicks were constantly preening, stretching their wings, flapping and all.

March 30th, I noticed the hen dove was gone, that's the first and only time that I've checked the nest when she wasn't with the chicks. I'm sure she was going out everyday to feed and all, I'm not there to constantly babysit.

Yesterday, March 31st, all 3 birds were in the nest at daylight. An hour or so later, one chick and the hen were gone. I didn't see them at all yesterday. The other chick stayed in the nest all day, it was there after dark, alone. It was in the nest at daylight this morning, 4/1/22. A little after daylight, the final chick was on a limb about a foot from the nest.

The female dove has a broken feather on her back, it sticks up about a half inch out of place, you can't miss it. I noticed her walking around out back this morning, the little chick was like a shawdow. The chicks are just a shade darker gray. But all 3 of them were together, with the chicks being fed.

I've been feeding the birds on my porch, I feed them in the mornings, only put out a tablespoon full or so? Cardinals are always first to show up, then the rest of the birds, they'll have it cleaned up in 20 minutes. Five minutes ago the little dove chick was sitting on the porch rail. They're out back someplace, we'll see if they return to the nest.

Our temperature dropped back down to 16* F. the other morning, they were snuggled up tight.

A table spoon of feed for the doves or for all the birds?

I have been putting out about about 2 pounds of sun flower seeds a day! Lots of bird activity. Buddy has photos of bald and golden eagles that are migrating back.

Well, a heaping Tablespoon full. I did feed them 3 times yesterday, and twice today.

Really, we busted a 5# bag of bird seed here at work, instead of fooling around trying to tape it shut and spill half of it, I took it home. Nobody will buy a package that it ripped or torn.

Not sure when I first started feeding the birds?, I'll bet it's been 6 months ago, and I still have a little bit left from my second bag. I do put it out pretty skimpy, just in a line on my porch rail. Almost like you'd be planting a garden.

I'm sure if I'd put up a regular bird feeder, they'd probably go through a pound or 2 per day. With a lot of it on the ground, attracting squirells and mice and all.

I've got a friend that works in the meat department at one of the big stores here in town, I asked him to get me a glob of beef fat, about so big. I have intentions of putting it in an onion bag, hanging it up for the woodpeckers. Planning on putting up a camera, just to check on things.

Well, Ole Broken Feather, (the mommy dove), she was back in the nest yesterday for a while, then she was gone. The nest was empty at dark and empty at daylight today.

A little bit after daylight, the mommy dove was back in her nest, doing some remodeling. She was using her feet and beak to get it squared up again. I'd say she's going to lay eggs again. But she was sitting in the nest at 8am today.

Talking about eagles, one of my facebook friends posted videos of an eagle nest on his property. He lives on the east side of the county, but he had video of an eaglet, bald eagle. But we have eagles here all year. You'll see them here in town now and then.

It's been a few years ago, my buddy Earl was trapping a farm below town, there were a dozen or 18 adult bald eagles sitting in the trees near the river. I was with him a day or 2, he told me that they were there everyday.

It's been within the last week or 2, I've been seeing the glossy looking black birds, and I did see a flock of red-winged blackbirds the other day, maybe 50 in the bunch? Yes, early in the mornings you'll hear lots of birds chirping here in the valley.

Well, the hen dove was in the nest yesterday at 8am, she was gone at noon, and the nest was empty last night. Before good daylight today, the hen and at least one chick were sitting on my porch.

The hen dove is back in her nest right now, 8am. She's in there scratching and pulling, making the nest just so. Seems like she'll work a little bit and then rest a little bit, and then hit it again.

I just fed then for the second time today, that's enough. But I did get another 5# bag of bird food.

Your observations are very interesting.

Good. It's been fun and interesting watching.

Yesterday, the female dove was in her nest again, scratching and pulling.

4/5/22, the nest was empty at daylight, no eggs. I've been checking the nest with my flashlight.

A little bit after daylight, there was a dove in the nest scratching and kicking, and there is more nesting material in the nest. Looks like honeysuckle vines to me. Not sure?

But this morning, I did see another dove, not sure if it's one of the chicks or not? But it flew in with another little batch of some kind of fine material.

The female dove with the feather "out of Place", it's growing, it sticks up about 3/4's of an inch now. I'm sure she'll be glad when that thing falls off.

I looked at the nest the other night, some of the nest almost looks like strands of the old sasil bailing twine. It's wrapped around the inside of the nest, almost like it came from a spool. It's pretty neat.

Here at work the other evening a friend stopped by with his little girl. She told me that she was in 1st grade. The dove chicks were about the size of a hummingbird at the time. I described the little birds to the little girl, she was wide-eyed. It was after dark or I'd have sent them up check out the birds.

I think we'll have another hatch before long. Maybe I'll have a chance to take them up the next time.

Honestly, I don't know as much about birds as I should. My sister Jenny was a bird nut. But trying to identify birds, you look at position of their wing tips, the shape of it's tail, rounded, pointy or square. The way they walk, their head bobbing and all.

But we see birds everyday. Buy a kid a $20 bird book, otherwise it doesn't cost a thing. But it's pretty neat when you hear a bird, and think: Hmmm, that's a so and so. With the internet today, you can do a search and find the sound of any bird out there.

But the information is out there, free for the taking.

Well, last night after work, the female dove was in her nest. She was still in the nest at daylight today. 4/6/22.

And we've got a new egg. The egg wasn't there yesterday. So, first egg: 4/6/22.

Above I mentioned that the chicks are just a shade darker, than the female. Hard to describe and you almost need to be looking down across their back. Just above their tail, they have like a dull charcoal-black colored spots. Like a faded black color. Otherwise the only way that I can tell the difference is the length and thickness of their tails. I'd guess in another day or 2, I won't be able to see any difference at all. And that's looking at them from 12 inches.

If you can see the tail feathers, look to se if the very ends have a "V" notch. It's where the down tip broke off and indicates a hatch year bird.

Well, I've been reading this morning. How feathers grow is just one of those things that I've never thought about much. And I'll tell you the more I read, the more complex things become.

I'm sure this is a stupid question, but let me ask: Now the "V" notch in a birds tail feather, is that V notch there for the duration of that feather? Or, does it eventually fill in and round off? Or fill out?

It's dark, foggy and raining here this morning, I did see one of the dove chicks (I think), I couldn't see it's tail feathers good enough to tell if the V notch was there or not. You'd almost need to have the feather in your hands to see it that good.

The adult female dove is back on her nest now, but earlier, she was on my porch rail and there is just one egg in the nest.

I've been in barns, where the loft would be covered with pigeon feathers, and crap. But I have no idea how long a feather on a dove would last, how long it would stay attached and all?

But how a feather is formed is more involved that you'd first think.

I don't know how the "V" disappears. Filled in or feather replaced? No idea. But it does last a long time. It can be tough to see.

The more I think about it, I'd guess that the feather kind of fills in that V notch. I'm not sure.

Not sure how I wrote it above?, but the chick's tail feathers are growing longer and filling out or getting wider.

Just say you'd pull out a tail feather from something like a grouse, the base of the feather will be soft, compared to the feather an inch out. I'd guess that it's still "alive", in a way.

Then think about a tail feather from something like a turkey, that feather will be 15 inches long, give or take. Or the feathers of a peacock's tail, those things might be 3 feet long, they didn't grow overnight.

Thinking about the tail feathers of a male grouse, they are all so uniform, nice, neat and pretty. Or the feathers of a wild turkey in the sunlight. Amazing.

The female dove is on her nest, nothing new to report. I thought that maybe we'd have another egg, but with her in the nest, you just can't see.

Search: How bird feathers grow.

One link that I read said that it could take up to a year for a feather to competely form.

Here is one link.

https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/feathers-article/

I'll give you an update on the dove nest. Today is the 12th, it was the evening of the 8th, I noticed the female dove was breathing hard. All of the other times that I'll looked at her, I've never noticed that before. She was breathing really fast. Same thing the morning of the 9th. Not sure but I think she was trying to lay an egg.

You've all watched a person sleeping. Sound asleep and resting good, you don't really notice them breathing.

But the dove was huffing and puffing. I didn't try to time her breathing, should have. But I watched her this morning, I can tell when she inhales, but it's not nearly as fast as it was the other day.

With her sitting in the nest you can't tell, but I think she has 2 eggs now, maybe 3 ?

I'll keep watching, but most times when I look at her, it's just a bird on her nest. Sitting there resting easy.

Here at "Dove Central", the female dove is breathing heavy again this morning.

By my one thousand one count, I had almost an inhale per second.

Checked it 2 times on the stopwatch on the cell phone, the second time I had 30 inhales in 42 seconds. Minus off 2 or 3 seconds, till I found the right button.

I'll try to check it again tonight when she's resting, but I'd guess her respiration rate will drop down to closer to one breath per 3 or 4, maybe 6 seconds?

She's a small little bird, but we need to know how this stuff works.

I'm sure we have folks here on the forum that have laying hens, do they huff and puff while they're laying an egg? I've gathered eggs lots of times, I've just never noticed.

But something is going on with this female dove.

April 16th, there are 2 eggs in the nest.

I've been reading, the respiration rate of small birds will vary from 30 to 60 per minute.

I timed the female dove the other day, I counted 10 inhales in 12+ seconds.

By my count, it's just slightly below 1 inhale per second. So, it's the same, and my count is fairly accurate. A feller should practice that from time to time. Close your eyes and do a 60 count, then check the clock and see if you need to speed up or slow down. Anyway.

Think i've figured out what was going on the other day. She had an egg stuck cross-ways.

Here is a link to "egg binding".

https://www.thesprucepets.com/signs-of-egg-binding-in-birds-390494

I'll try to copy and paste the same story below.

Egg-binding is a serious and sometimes fatal condition that affects female birds of breeding age. It can affect any bird, but among common pet birds, it is most often seen in smaller species including finches, parakeets, lovebirds, canaries, and cockatiels.1


Basically, egg-binding means that the egg has become "stuck," and the bird is unable to expel it from its body within a normal time frame, which depending on species, can be anywhere from 24 to 48 hours. This causes the bird to strain in an attempt to pass the egg, which owners sometimes mistake as the bird straining to defecate. Your bird will likely appear ill, lose its appetite, fluff up its feathers, sleep more than normal, and may have a swollen abdomen. The stuck egg may make it difficult for your bird to pass feces and urine, as well.

FEATURED VIDEO
Pet Birds - Fascinating Facts and Clever Names
Since it's so important for egg-bound hens to receive prompt medical treatment, owners should know what signs and symptoms to watch for in their pets. If left untreated, your bird can become critically ill and may die.2

What Is Egg-Binding?
Many bird owners are surprised to learn that a female bird that has no contact with a male can still lay eggs. These eggs are not fertilized, so can not produce a viable chick, however. While not every pet female bird will lay eggs, the possibility is there for all of them.2


Egg-binding occurs when an egg takes longer than usual to pass out of the reproductive tract. While the normal length of time to pass an egg varies between bird species, and even between individual birds, most birds pass an egg within 24 to 48 hours. Your bird might lay just one egg, or several eggs. It is possible for a bird to lay an egg normally, but then experience egg-binding with subsequent eggs.


The egg can become stuck inside the bird's vent, which is the opening for expelling materials from the urinary, gastrointestinal, and reproductive tracts. In this case, you might actually see a bit of the egg bulging through the vent.


Eggs can also bind higher up the reproductive tract. An egg may become stuck in the oviduct, which is the tube that leads from the ovaries to the vent, or within the cloaca, which is a chamber just within the vent that collects materials from the urinary, gastrointestinal, and reproductive tracts. Unlike mammals, birds have just one common opening/exit for these three organ systems.


Symptoms of Egg-Binding in Birds
Birds can hide symptoms of illness until the condition becomes too advanced to hide any longer. This helps wild birds survive, as a weak bird is an easy target for a predator but can make it difficult for a pet owner to realize their bird is ill. Recognizing the signs of egg-binding early on is key to your pet's survival. If you observe any of the following symptoms, contact an avian veterinarian as soon as possible. The vet can properly diagnose your pet's problem and get it on the road to a fast recovery.


Symptoms
Rapid or labored breathing
Swelling
Constipation
Fluffed-up feathers
Straining
Sitting on the cage floor
Lameness
Loss of appetite
Sudden death
Rapid or Labored Breathing
Many egg-bound hens look like they are having a hard time breathing, particularly after exertion, such as flying or fluttering within their cage. Even slightly labored breathing is a symptom of egg-binding.

Swelling
An egg-bound hen may appear to have a swollen abdomen or show swelling around its vent from straining to pass an egg. Birds with swelling on any part of their bodies should be seen by a medical professional as soon as possible.

Constipation
If you suspect that a hen may be egg-bound, watch its droppings. You should assume there's a problem if they look abnormal or if it fails to produce any at all.

Fluffed-Up Feathers
One of the most common symptoms of illness in birds, fluffed-up feathers can also be a sign that a bird is egg-bound. If you observe your bird sitting with its feathers fluffed up, assess it for any other symptoms or abnormalities.

Straining
Egg-bound hens often visibly strain to try and pass their eggs. Egg-binding should be suspected in birds that strain but show no progress in moving their eggs.

Sitting on the Cage Floor
Most of the time, birds that are egg-bound tend to sit on the cage floor. Eggs that are stuck inside of a hen can put immense pressure on the bird's spine, sometimes causing paralysis and the inability to perch.

Lameness
If the stuck egg puts pressure internally on the nerves that go into the bird's legs, it can cause lameness or even an inability to stand.

Loss of Appetite
This is a common symptom of several illnesses, but if you notice your bird is not eating, assess it for other signs of egg-binding.

Sudden Death
Unfortunately, in some cases, the first and only sign that a bird is suffering from egg-binding is the sudden death of the bird.1

Causes of Egg-Binding
There are several causes of egg-binding. The most common have to do with the egg itself, the bird's diet, or issues with the hen's reproductive tract.

Sometimes, the egg itself is too large for the hen to pass easily, or is positioned incorrectly inside the reproductive system, making it impossible for the bird to lay the egg normally.

Dietary issues are a common cause of egg-binding, particularly with birds that are deficient in calcium. Lack of calcium can cause eggshells that are weak or partially formed, and more prone to becoming stuck. Also, calcium, vitamin E, and vitamin D help the uterine and oviduct muscles contract forcefully enough to move the egg through and out of the hen's reproductive system. Obese birds are also at higher risk of egg-binding.3

Infections, tumors, or inflammation within the hen's reproductive system can cause swelling that leads to egg-binding.

Diagnosing Egg-Binding in Birds
Often, your avian veterinarian can diagnose egg-binding just by gently feeling the hen's abdomen, as it is often possible to feel the stuck egg inside. However, most vets will take x-rays of the bird, which allows them to see the exact size and position of the stuck egg. Occasionally, an egg becomes stuck before the shell is fully formed, making it difficult to see on an x-ray. If your vet suspects this is the case, they might choose to do an ultrasound, which will show even a shell-less egg.2

Treatment
A bird suffering from egg-binding should be seen by a veterinarian right away, as the longer you wait, the less likely the bird is to survive. Once at the vet's office, if the bird is determined to be critically ill, it will be treated for shock. This usually includes warming the bird, giving fluids and calcium via an IV into a vein, and sometimes providing supplemental oxygen. In some cases, these measures are enough to allow the bird to pass the egg on its own.

If the egg doesn't pass, the veterinarian will assess its position inside the hen. If the egg is inside the cloaca, it sometimes can be massaged out or extracted with lubricated cotton swabs.2

If the massage and natural methods don't extract the egg, it may be necessary to break the egg while it is still within the hen and remove it in parts. If this occurs, the vet will use a needle to remove the contents of the egg, which will cause the egg to collapse. The vet will then clean the hen's oviduct to remove any shell fragments or egg residue. Leaving anything in the hen could lead to infection or internal tissue damage.

Prognosis
With prompt treatment, most birds will survive. However, if the stuck egg causes the hen to be unable to easily breathe or expel waste, and the bird isn't provided emergency treatment, the prognosis is poorer.

How to Prevent Egg-Binding
Since egg-binding is a common condition, it is hard to completely prevent it. It's best to maintain a healthy lifestyle for your hen. Feeding a well-balanced diet that includes enough calcium is crucial, as is preventing your bird from becoming overweight. Your bird should have opportunities for exercise and play each day.

However, birds that tend to lay eggs frequently and have experienced egg-binding may be prone to more episodes of this serious condition. In that case, your vet might recommend hormone injections at the beginning of egg-laying season to prevent your bird from laying an egg.3

Keeping daily watch on your hens will help you know their habits and be better aware if they are displaying any symptoms of egg-binding.

If you suspect your pet is sick, call your vet immediately. For health-related questions, always consult your veterinarian, as they have examined your pet, know the pet's health history, and can make the best recommendations for your pet.
Article Sources

I started keeping notes on a scratch pad about the bird nest. Easier to keep track of.

April 17th, Easter Day, the adult dove was out of her nest, sitting on a limb about a foot away. And another dove, I think one of the chicks from the first hatch walked over and tended the eggs. There were 2 eggs. Sometime durning the day the adult female took over the nest again.

The only way that I can tell them apart is the length of their tails. There is about an inch difference.

April 18th we had a snow. Started out as a cold rain, then sleet, ice, and then snowed the rest of the day. Here in town we had 3 inches, 6 inches up in the mountains here around town. The temperature stayed about 35* F. all day, the dove was soaked. It's melted here in the valley, looks like a good bit in mountains yet. I had 28* this morning, usually about 10* colder up on top.

Nothing from yesterday. This morning 4/20/22, I did notice the female squirming and scratching around in the nest. I guess trying to rotate her eggs? I don't think that she'd be doing that if they had hatched yet. But they should be due to hatch before long.

4/21/22. At least one dove egg has hatched.

4/22/22. Both chicks have hatched.

Update on the dove chicks. There are only 2.

Yesterday morning, 4/26/22. The female dove left her nest early, before good daylight. Really that was the first chance that I've had to look at the chicks alone. They are a really pretty color, kind of a flat-black, gray, and it almost looks like fur.

Not sure how long the female dove was off of the nest? She was gone from at least daylight till 8am, later yesterday she was back on the nest. I've watched the chicks feed, about every morning. She feeds them early. I'm sure she feeds them lots of times while I'm not watching too.

Today, 4/27/22. The female dove was off of her nest, right at 6am. She was eating, walking around on my porch (I guess it was her), I guess she's going someplace to get water? Making "dove milk."

The chicks are not as big as a sparrow yet, but they fill the nest. And they breath very fast too. Mother dove is sitting on top of the chicks now.

Update for yesterday, 4/28/22.

Yesterday morning I went out to feed the birds, the female dove was on my porch, the chicks were alone in the nest. The female dove flushed and landed in a tree after I spooked her, but was right back on the porch, not long after I closed the door.

It was cold and windy yesterday, I had 33* F. at daylight. I think we warmed up into the 50's, but was windy and chilly all day. I was using a push mower yesterday wearing a jacket and toboggan, and didn't get hot.

Last evening I walked by the nest, the chicks were there but something didn't look right. I checked them a little bit closer and they were both dead. I assume that they froze?

Set the ladder up and went up to get them, showed them to a few folks here at work. My daughter Kim was here so I had her take notes for me.

With the 2 little birds in my hand it was easy to see that one was bigger than the other.

Their weights were: 0.12 pounds and 0.10 pounds. An ink pen will weigh about 0.03. So, you're looking at 3 ink pens for the small chick, and 4 ink pens for the big one.

Their wingspan was 8 and 9 inches. That shows just how fast they were growing.

With them stretched out, you could see a lot of naked skin on the chicks, at 33* and windy, that would be chilly. I don't know?

I had 31* and frost on the vehicles today.

We've has some screwy weather this spring. Talked to the mailman the other day, Monday of this week he was in Grant County, said that it was 93* over there, he had 74* when he got home here in Hardy co. Exactly a week before, he had 6 inches of snow at his house and we had 3 inches here in town.

Not sure about the doves? But I kind of expect her to lay eggs again, we'll see.

In this dove thread, we talked about feathers. Here's what I found this afternoon in my back yard. Pretty sure this is/was a dove. Have quite a few in the neighborhood. Also have hawks, and falcons, and them damn feral cats. I've seen falcons knock a bird out of the air, then work it over on the ground before flying off up into a tree with it. I believe this was the scenario.

Frank.

There seems to be a steep learning curve for young doves.

I didn't see this coming!

Hawks kill doves at my bird feeders regularly. I got to see one do it last year.

Well, the dove nest is still empty.

No, I didn't see it coming either. I'll tell you the last 2 days that she was in her nest, she'd take off and be absent for a while. I'm not sure how long she would be gone?

Before that the mommy dove was pretty much on that nest fulltime.

I can only think of 2 things that could have caused the chicks to die. Their food, and I really don't think that's what happened. The mother dove had already eaten it once. Sometimes chicken peeps will die if their starter food isn't ground fine enough for their system.

Otherwise it was the temperature.

At night the female dove would fluff up and have the chicks competely covered, heads and all. Sometimes you could see their tails sticking out.

The other morning when it was down to freezing and windy, the blanket flew away, and there they sit in the wind. Figure a combined weight of less than 1/4 of a pound, they didn't have much body heat to start with.

They say that once a bird's core temperature drops, there is just no way for them to warm up.

Above where I said that their feathers looked almost like fur, it's the way the feathers were growing. They were shaped more like a little tiny tube, compared to a full grown feather. You've got the main shaft of the feather, with the little fuzzy stuff growing out both sides of the shaft.

The feathers on their backs, the fuzzy part was all growing inward or toward it's body. I guess as the feather matures and gets bigger, that first little curl part of the feather makes them overlap. Like fish scales.

It's been fun watching. I'm not sure how a female dove's system works, but I'll guess that if she does lay eggs again, it'll be within the next 2 weeks or so. Otherwise I don't expect it back this summer. We'll see.

May 6, 2022. The dove nest is still empty. I've been checking the nest everyday, as far as I know there hasn't been a bird in it since the chicks died.

Above we were talking about "dove milk", and where it comes from and all. The bird food that I've been using it just says: Wild bird food, on the front of the bag.

Looking at the feed, I recognize the cracked corn, sunflower seeds. Reading the fine print on the bag, alos contains wheat, maybe peanuts? and millet. Millet is new to me, I've heard of it and all, but it's just not grown in this area. I guess those are the little round seeds?

I've been reading about millet, will post a link in a minute. It is grown and harvested here in the USA. I'm just not familiar with millet.

Here is one thing that I read about millet:

Americans might think of millet as a main ingredient in birdseed. But in a third of the world, from Africa to Asia to Eastern Europe, people eat millet as a staple part of their diet. It's one of the earliest cultivated grains and more than 6,000 varieties grow around the world. It's a primary ingredient in flatbreads, beer and other fermented beverages, and porridges. In the United States, many commercially produced gluten-free breads use millet flour, either solely or in conjunction with flour milled from other gluten-free grains. Though technically a seed, millet functions like a whole grain, and you can cook with it like you would other whole grains, such as rice or quinoa.

Link to the rest of the article. https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-millet-3376839

Another link: https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g4164

Talking about dove milk. I don't want anyone to get sick on their stomach, remember we're talking about animals, so it's no big deal.

You've all watched a dog get sick and barf. Throu-up, puke, toss it's cookies, etc. Doves are about the same.

A dog will stand there, stiff legged, head down and start to slober and drool, and then start to heave. Almost like having convulsions, on a short haired dog, it's easy to see what's going on.

After a heave or 2, the old dog will spit up a clump of wet, slimey and foamy glob of grass or whatever it was that made it "sick as a dog" in the first place.

Watching the female dove feeding her chicks, it's about the same. She will force the contents of her stomach into her mouth and the chicks will eat it out of her mouth. To understand how small the dove chicks were, both of them would feed at the same time. Both of the chicks would have their beaks inside the adults mouth.

I assume after the seeds soak in the juices of the adult's stomach for a while, that would soften them up and make it easier for the chicks to digest, and I guess that would be "dove milk".

Just like a wolf feeding her cubs.

I've never really thought about it before, but there are quite a few animals that feed their young the same way.

Not positive, but I'd guess that for an animal like a coon, once their kittens are weaned, they should be out looking for food with the sow coon.

I've been out before, you see a coon run across the road and there might be 5 or 6 little ones right on her tail.

A bird like a grouse or a turkey, once those chicks hatch, they'll trail the hen. They don't go back to their nest each night.

It'd be interesting to know how many weeks old, something like a wild turkey chick needed to be before it could fly. I mean to fly to roost. But for a while the chicks would a ground nesting bird.

I'm thinking. Years ago I flushed a bunch in the summer, they weren't very big and could fly. And run very good too.

We had two grouse hang around the house yesterday. One in the back yard and another up the driveway. I did not hear any drumming. However, with the river flowing as it is, drumming would be drowned out.

Grouse chicks certainly fly up in trees at a young age. They also disappear under leaves once they are mobile.

I remember one time in recent years watching grouse chicks hide in the leaves. And that's been probably 15 years ago.

I was driving out this old 2-track and watched a female grouse and 3 or 4, maybe 5 chicks cross the road. I stopped where they crossed the road, the hen was out there 30 feet or so just walking around, I'm sure the chicks were between her and I, but I didn't see any. I watched for a minute and got out of the way.

Talking about feral cats, if a cat would have watched it just like I did, it would have stayed there and probably killed at least one of the chicks. And it's very likely that it would have stayed there and killed all of them.

A cat has a lot of patience and that's one thing that makes them such good hunters. Plus their eyes and ears. One little sound in the leaves and it would have pounced. It's not likely that a cat would have killed the adult grouse, not in the daylight with the ground bare and as open as it is in that area, she would have flown up in the trees. But the chicks are helpless when they can't fly and darned sure can't out run a cat.

It's the same way with baby rabbits, they are helpless.

The way our laws are set up, feral cats can be controlled by the landowner and/or his "agent".

Talking about our bird chicks, our turkeys should be nesting now. We've had a pile of rain here in the last 3 days or so. Cold rain too. One day folks had anywhere from 1.7 to 2.5 inches of rain. It rained here about all day yesterday, with the temperature in the low 50's, I'm sure we've had over 4 inches now. I had 44* at daylight this morning, we're up to 48* here at 9am.

Figure these little ground nesting birds, out in a pounding rain for 8 or 10 hours at a time, with the temperature in the 50's or less. That's going to be pretty tough for them to survive.

A guy told me last evening about the big river, it must be up 15 feet or so above normal. Where I live our water levels drop fast.

It's been more than 2 weeks since I made my guess about a dove nesting in my nest. The nest is still empty.

I see doves everyday, but as far as I know the nothing has returned to the nest.

Above we were talking about their success rate. It's not the best for sure!

Very small test sample and all. In my window nest, doves have nested 4 times, twice last year and two time this year. So far.

They've layed a total of 8 eggs, 2 each nesting. Six of the 8 eggs hatched, 2 chicks died at a week old. Six, eight maybe 9 days old? 2 eggs were kicked out or rolled out of the nest before they hatched.

To the best of my knowledge, they have raised 4 chicks, that were up and flying. Two chicks last summer and 2 so far this year. We've still got a lot of summer left, maybe they will nest again?

Above we were talking about millet, the plant or seed. I've got a little test plot going now, it's just in a small pan, like a dog food bowl. Dirt is only 2 inches deep.

I'm working on another little project up on the mountain, so I've got a row of red clover, alfalfa and a row of millet, in the pot on the porch.

I just planted it 4 or 5 days ago, clover and alfalfa are looking good, not much from the millet yet. But if a man would have a 6-foot row in the back corner of the garden, and plant an ounce of bird seed and get 2 pounds of seed back later, that would be a pretty good deal.

I'm not sure how that works? I'm sure all grains are different, but if you'd take one grain of wheat, and it grows good, you'd get 30 or 40 or 50 grains when it matures.

I'm not up to date on grain harvests, but farmers out in the mid-west might harvest 2 or 300 bushel of corn per acre, folks around here are lucky to get 1/3 of that harvest.

June 9th, 2022. The dove nest is still empty. It seems like the other birds sure are hatching now.

The other day I checked a barn swallow nest, there were 3 chicks in it. I've been seeing Cardinal chicks, watched one being fed on the porch yesterday. Had 2 out there this morning, if one would move the other one would, they stayed 10 inches apart.

We've been talking about birds for over a year, I don't think that I've mentioned this. Maybe I have? Anyway, there is a sparrow nest in the same bush/vine thing, as the dove nest.

I first noticed a female sparrow hauling in nesting material, while I was checking on the dove nest. I have a double set of windows there, all together it's like 4 feet square. The dove and sparrow nests are about 3 feet apart.

I've told several of my friends, the other morning, almost 2 weeks ago. There was a female sparrow chick on my porch rail, that little bird, across it's breast, was about the size of a pop bottle cap. I mean just a regular plastic pop bottle cap.

We have different breeds of sparrows, our most commone ones, the male sparrows will have a black patch on the top of it's breast. Females don't.

We have another breed of sparrow, they have stripes, almost like the colors of a barred owl.

We haven't talked about our local birds for a while. I started on my forth 5-pound bag of bird food a while back, looks to be about a 2 week supply yet. Now and then I'll give them a slice of bread.

I've got a man working for me, doing little odd jobs, trying to get things squared-up before it gets cold and all. I had an elm tree out back, just past my porch, looked like it's roots were growing under my foundation, so I had him take it down. The tree wasn't that old, but was still 16 inches across the stump. Elm trees are dirty, it made a lot of shade, but the sap dripped all over my porch steps and I'll tell you they would get slick if they were damp.

Anyway, that tree is gone, and I told him while he was out there farting around, to cut the bush/vine thing off of the side of the house. The bush/vine thing that had the sparrow and robin/dove's nest.

I told him before he got started, that there was a dove nest over on this side and a sparrow nest up in that corner. And asked him to try to bring them down intact, if he could.

I remember when the little bush was planted, it was about a foot tall. That thing latched onto the side of the house, climbed up the siding, across my upstairs windows, on up into the rain gutter and was starting around the corner. It was planted about 30 years ago? Forget the name of it, but you don't want one growing up the side of your house!

I had the upstairs remodeled years ago, and my carpenter told me then: You don't ever want a tree or bush growing close to your house. They'll hold moisture, things will mold and rot, end up costing you money down the road. That's good advice. I screwed up, but it won't happen again!

But Tony did a good job removing the bird nests. He took down the sparrow nest first, I'll do my best to describe it. One side of the nest was against the building, and it's really built in the shape of a triangle. One flat side of the triangle is on top, sort of like an upside-down pyramid.

Think about it like this, take your kitchen funnel, hold the bottom part in your hand, and split the top part right down the middle and hold that half agains the wall. It's sort of like a cone.

At the bottom part of the "cone" nest, it's 4 or 5 inches thick? And across the top part of the cone/nest, it's about 14 inches wide, and about 6 inches thick. Maybe 7 inches?

I have no idea how many years that nest has been on the side of the house? But this is my theory, I think the 1st, original nest was at the very bottom, and over the years they just kept adding nesting material. The sparrow nest is very fragile, made of very tiny, very thin, thread sized grass. A couple pieces of plastic, some of that plastic like they make feed sacks with and all. But right on top, there is a little dimple, about the size of your fist, and maybe 2 inches deep?

But the nest is made with thousands and thousands of little tiny pieces. It would be interesting to know?

But the robin/dove nest is pretty neat. I have both nests here at work, there have been quite a few people look at them. Once we get everything squared-up, I am going to try to put them back in the window.

While I have a little bit of free time, I'll try to describe the robin/dove nest.

As far as I know, the original nest was built by a robin. For the past 2 summers, a dove or doves, have used it. All together that nest has been used at least 5 times.

The nest is 4 inches wide across the top and 2.5 inches deep. It's a combination of grass and mud, bird slobers, I'm not sure? It's fairly dense, attached to and built around the bush/vine thing. Honestly, I think it would hold water, not forever, but for a few minutes before it started to drip through.

Hard to describe, but it's like its coated with mud.

If you remember, think it was the summer of 2021? Two eggs rolled out of the nest, almost ready to hatch at the time and didn't survive the fall. The nest is (was) about 18 feet above the ground.

Anyway, the nest was full of dirt and leaf duff. Whatever it was? The nest was nearly full, their eggs were almost flush with the top rim of the nest. That's why they rolled out.

But the nest is clean and as soon as we get the window patched up and clean the windows, I'll try to put it back in place. And we'll see what happens next summer.

If you remember, last spring I started a little experiment trying to grow millet seeds, from my bag of bird food. I'll give you an update on that project. I think it's on page 8 of this thread.

I had a row of red clover, a row alfalfa, and a row of millet. Small seeds only need to be planted 1/4" deep, we had a hard pounding rain a day or so later, and it exposed most of the millet. I remember there was a dove in my planter one day, I think that it found about all of the millet seeds.

Long story short, the clover and alfalfa came up good, grew up to a foot high or so? I only had 2 millet plants that came up, both grew to about 24 to 30 inches tall. Both plants had a seed head, about 4 inches long. It's a different type of seed head than anything that I'd ever seen before. I will guess, each plant produced 50, maybe 75 seeds. Maybe 100?

I might take last years crop of millet and plant it this spring, and see what happens. If half of the seeds come up and grow, if I'd do that for 5 years, I wouldn't need to buy bird food.

I spotted my first robin, I think it was Sunday. There were a bunch of them here this morning.

Also have a pair of doves building a nest in one of my trees out back. I haven't put the window nest back in place yet.

Yeah, saw my first robin last Saturday. I was about an hour south of my digs, so still waiting for a sighting here in the yard. Course they'd still be sucking on wormcicles. And, according to my calendar, Tim, you're having a birthday today. Seems you just had one last year. Hey, you keep this up and you're gonna get old!! Happy birthday anyway!!

Frank.

Thanks, Frank. Yes, 58 this time.

Search: How many days old am I. It'll come up with a calculator, put in your birthdate, and it'll tell you all you need to know.

I'm 21,185 days old, today. Long time if you think about it.

Here's another little topic that we talked about above. Talking about bird feeders drawing mice and all. I'll tell you this real fast.

Heidi from the health dept. stopped by, just before Christmas. She'd finished her inspection, and we were just talking. We started talking about deer, then she asked about the bird nest setting on the shelf. I gave her a rundown an that thing.

I asked Heidi if she had a bird feeder. I'll just tell you, the way she told me: No, I don't. My Grandmother moved in and lived with me, she had bird feeders, a suet block, the whole works. After she passed, I took all of that stuff down. That one summer I killed 4 or 5 little copperheads (snakes) and found another one dead in my basement. I'm sure the big one was there someplace.

I looked under the porch and the bird food was about that thick (showing me about 3" with her hand. I got up under there with a rake and a shovel and hauled it off.

The bird food was drawing in the chipmunks, mice and everything else, and they were drawing in the snakes.

Heidi lives on the mountain west of town, someplace, good deer area. She's told me about seeing deer at her house. I told her to get a salt block.