Christy and Glenn: March 2009

A Mother's Love

I have been home visiting my parents and witnessed an interesting event, so bear with me as I attempt to bring out the philosophical side of me.

A mother mourning dove decided to build a nest on some portable shelves located on my parent's porch, interestingly right next to the door. As my mom and I were outside trying to visualize what this porch will look like in a week when it is turned into a sun room we saw this mother dove faithfully sitting on her eggs without even flinching as we walked right past her. After a couple trips outside which involved opening up the sliding door this mother dove would get scared and fly away, perching herself on the nearby telephone wire exposing her eggs, but would come right back and was sitting on her nest when we went back inside, sometimes only a minute later. I was amazed at how dedicated this mother was to her eggs, always coming back to them as fast as she could, and if we didn't make too much noise would stay sitting on her nest even if we were only a couple feet away.

Unfortunately, the contractor showed up today to start turning the patio to the sun room, and the shelves with the nest had to be moved to another part of the yard. My dad very carefully moved the nest, with the mother watching, to the patio on the other side of the fence. However, for some reason this was too far for the bird to understand, and whenever I would look out the sliding glass door, I saw the mother dove on the patio or fence looking for her eggs. It almost broke my heart. Here she is, a faithful mother who wants to provide and care for her soon-to-be little ones, and she just can't do it. So, feeling sorry for her, my dad moved the nest closer to the original spot by the garden. Immediately the dove was back on the nest, trying to protect her eggs. Then, the sprinklers turned on and scared the mother off. Again, my dad tried to move the nest to the other porch, but the dove just stood on the patio looking for the nest that she built with a home for her eggs. Once the sprinklers turned off, my dad moved the nest back by the garden and immediately she was on it. She even stayed on the nest while the contractor walked with all of his supplies right past her. I feel so bad for this mother because odds are that her little eggs won't make it anyways since they have been moved a couple times and were exposed to the cool air. Still, I admire her dedication. It has caused me to reflect on my experience being a mom and feeling like you have to do everything to give your baby a chance at survival, even if you have to step out of your comfort zone, or in the bird's case, stay sitting on her nest while people walk right by her. It has been a neat experience witnessing a mother's love. It's just as powerful whether you are a human or a bird.