Dove Wars

My sister likes birds but not up close and personal.

She has been keeping me up to date on her version of “squirrel wars”. She has lots of company at her house, actually I call her front door her revolving door. She has children and grandchildren living very near. The children feel that because they were raised in that house it is still their house and they should be able to raise their children there for the most part. Now that doesn't mean my sister should guide the upbringing of the grandchildren-that is interfering but she should be very happy to have any and all there night or day. But I digress...

A pair of mourning doves moved onto the front porch. They built the first nest in an empty flowerpot right near the “revolving” front door. Every time some person came near the door, whether from inside or outside, the doves would fly up. Who knows who was the most startled the unsuspecting people or the doves.

Now that was the first excuse to get those doves off the porch. So the nest was tossed out. The doves then tried to move into the new hanging plants. My sister then put Popsicle sticks in the tops of the plants. The doves then built right on the bare plant stand right back near the front door.

I told her to give them a place and take pictures of the couple, any eggs, and hatchlings that might result. Nope, she didn't want them there at all. I am not real sure why except to say that my sister thinks she might be able to rule that roost. Her excuses, just war justifications, now are “They will give me a heart attack.” or “They are nasty.” Those of us who know her know that it is really will against will. Nothing anyone says will get her to let those poor doves alone.

Here are her emails and photos taken by one of the grandkids concerning the takeover of her territory.

"This stupid dove decided to build a nest in the flower pot on my plant stand on the front porch. Every time anyone went in or out of the front door, it would fly away, startling you. I had one of my grandchildren move the flower pot. So it was just sitting on the metal plant stand. I put a plant on the plant stand. It spooked the dove but then it decided to build a nest on the plant stand. Again any time anyone went in or out of the front door, it would fly away, startling you. It became very bold. It would just sit there and look at me while I walked up to my plant stand. I would have to shake my finger at it and tell it I did not want it and to go away. Then it would fly away. I did not want this bird on my plant stand laying eggs and making a nasty mess. I did what any self respecting person would do. I destroyed the nest. I looked across the street at one point during our ongoing battle and saw both of the doves walking along the curb but I did not care. Still that dove came back. It decided to try my new bridal veil plant. I chased it off and put in a reliable help, corn dog sticks. This hopefully would keep it out of the plant. Seemed to work. Then the persistent dove went back to the plant stand and started another nest. I again being even more persistent than the dove, destroyed it. It came back again yesterday and I chased it off. It sat in a tree in the front yard with its mate for some time. However, we had company and sat on the porch and visited. It finally gave up and left. I have not seen it this morning but am at work."

And this email the next day:

"Me thinks I spoke too soon. When I left for work after talking to you, guess what flew off from my plant stand on my front porch."

Four days later:

"I thought for sure they were gone. Did not see them this weekend while it was rainy. However today they were back. I destroyed the beginnings of a nest and they came back and started over while we went to the store. They didn't come back after we came home. It's like they just do this to aggravate me. "

What can we say about people and animals-we are just locked in battles. Just Wars over territory!

Perhaps Alfred Hitchcock and Daphne Du Maurier right after all. Who can forget those crows silently gliding onto the playground while Tippi Hedren sits unaware waiting for school to let out.
As I recall, an Ornithologist made a rather scary remark about how we might not stand a chance if all the different birds began to band together.