White-winged Dove –
This is a momma dove with the second chick that she raised this year. They are roosting in a Ponderosa pine tree that is in my backyard. Doves are migratory birds and come north to nest and have babies in the summer.
The momma bird has made a strong nest in the branches up high, and I like climbing up there and peeking at the baby bird. During rainstorms the momma sits right on top of her baby and shelters it from everything. I got to see the baby on its first day after being hatched, which is a very ugly animal. I took the white eggshell and a few feathers once the first chick left the nest. I collect stuff like that whenever I find it.
I think the baby bird is learning to fly with his mother. The baby bird will soon leave the nest behind and try and make it on his own. Another name for a baby bird is a squab, and I like that name better because it is funny on your tongue. Squab.
