my first "pet"

A few months ago, I noticed a bird in the little alcove above our bedroom door. Every morning it would sit there and watch me get ready. Some mornings, its partner would sit on the balcony and they would both watch me get ready. 

At first, I just thought they were random birds but soon I realized it was the same two. I pulled a chair up to the alcove and saw that there was a little nest there. I love waking up each morning and getting ready with the birds.

Our friend told us that they birds were Mourning Doves. It makes sense since the two parent birds have been around the whole time and a few weeks ago, two baby birds made an appearance. In their first weeks, I would watch the mom bird trying to teach the baby birds how to fly by flapping its wings.

The poor baby birds are a little slow at learning. They can kind of slowly flap down but they have to wait and regain their energy before trying to fly up again. They hide behind the broom while they wait. 

Look at those little babies growing so fast! This past weekend a crow tried to scare the doves out of their home and I missed them so much for two days. Luckily the rain drove away the crow and they have settled back into their home.

Here is a shot of the little family without the dad. Since I have never had a pet, it has been so nice to have these guys around. Mourning doves can reproduce up to six times an year so there is a strong likelihood that our new pets are around to stay. I think it might be time to start thinking about names for them.

Do you know that Mourning Doves are Michigan's state bird of peace? Its nice to have a little piece of home here! We got them a little house but I think it is too small for their big family!