Hi,
I've had some sort of Doves nesting in my backyard, they're white/grey coloured and occasionally make a laughing like sound "so we've called them laughing doves.
Now the doves have made a nest in the crook of our cafe blinds and the baby birds were born a few weeks ago. All was good until yesterday I noticed blood. The babies both had blood on their beaks and big gaping wounds one under it's wind and another around it's tail.
This morning, it's worse, drops of blood everywhere! I noticed the nest is very gross, you can't see the bottom of the nest for bird poop and this worries me with the open wounds.
They leave the nest occasionally, can fly a little bit. sometimes I find them on the ground pecking around with their parents, this morning one was up in a tree and the other on the ground near the nest not moving very much. The mother still came to feed it.
I'm very worried and don't know what to do. We don't have any wildlife service around here that I can take them to.
Please help.
Nicola Reed
Hi Nicola, it doesn't sound good, and it feels awful to just stand back and let nature take its course, but often human intervention just hastens their demise from shock. They may be spotted doves, which often nest close to houses.
All I can suggest is that you may be able to make it easier for the parents to care for them by providing some seed and water.
You could try to provide a new 'nest' in a box with clean tissue, that is covered for protection, but has a hole for them to come and go - but this may be impossible if they are flying.
Marj Kibby