And They Lived Happily Ever After

I love living in the country, more and more every day.

Once upon a time....

I woke up yesterday morning to take Ikey out for his morning jaunt. Before I got out the door with him, I spotted two little baby doves laying on my porch.  They were right above the steps, right in the way!  They were laying facing the same direction, looking onto the porch, about 10" apart.   I thought "oh my word...now what".  I grabbed my camera and snapped a couple of photos trying not to disturb them.

To take care of Ikey I took him out the back door.  Curious and fascinated, I then went out the back door again with my camera and snuck around the front to take some closer photos.  They were still as posts, only blinking their eyes.  They did not seem to be bothered by me.  Oh mercy, I didn't want anything to happen to them.  I didn't know what to do.
I called my sister.  My sister said "I think it's best you just leave them alone" (easy for her to say 80 miles away, not watching them, worrying).  I called the vet.  The vet's receptionist said "we don't have anyone we know of that can help you" (easy for her to say, she wasn't seeing them, lying there alone).  When I called the game warden he said "what we tell people in situations like this, is that the best thing to do is just let nature take it's course", (easy for him to say over the phone because he didn't see the stray cat in the pasture next door earlier this morning).  Seriously, are these folks kidding.  How am I going to just watch these little guys wither away to nothing while I just "leave them alone and let nature take it's course!"
So what did I do?  Prayed and then I left them alone.
I did go up and down the stairs on the opposite side of them however, several times after that and they never moved.  I took a few photos.

They had gotten together and were snuggling in opposite directions.  "Huh", I thought.  I left the house about 3 pm and headed to town for the rest of the day but only after refilling the birdbath with water.

When I arrived back home about 9:30, they were no longer there.  I got the flashlight and looked around a bit on the ground for them and found nothing.  "Praise God", I said "the mom came and got them and they are gone.  No need to worry about them anymore."  I was so relieved.  Can I hear a hallelujah?

This morning I woke up and began one of my newest rituals when the weather is colder outside...getting on my computer with my tea and toast in bed!  (Ikey loves staying in bed longer).  Out of the corner of my eye I see a dove land on the rocker outside on the porch.  "Huh"?  I think.  "What in the world.  No birds ever fly up on the porch like that and sit in the chair."  Then I think, "Oh my.  Could it be?  Could it be that those little birds are still up there on the porch somewhere and she's come to check on them?"  I get up and go to the window, peer out, and sure enough, much to my "oh no" feeling, there they are, all huddled together under the rocker!  Good grief, what to do now?  Take more photos!

I call the vet's office back and tell them the story.  It's a different person.  She says "bring them in. We'll see what we can do.  We can't promise you we can save them.  If you've seen the mother she will keep coming around looking for them".  Oh great, I'm thinking of stealing her babies.  She'll be heart broken.

I call another friend who recommends calling an animal refuge in Kendalia.  She gives me the number and I call them.  A nice gal answers.  I tell her my story.  She asks some questions about them.  She says they are "fledglings" and that they are probably just not quite old enough to fly yet.  She says once they fall out of a nest a mother will continue to come and feed them for up to 2 weeks until they are old enough to fly.  She tells me I can put a little box out there to see if they will get in it to protect them from the weather.  She says I don't need to put water out or anything.  She says the dreaded "for now, let nature take it's course".  But she also said if they started to look lethargic and I no longer saw the mother coming around, the refuge would take them in.  Much relief on my part.  Turns out Mom's truly gonna do her thing.  I mean, right?  I've already seen her close by this morning.  Could my sister and the game warden have been right?

Then the coolest thing happened.  As I'm looking out the window from my bedroom at them, the little birds start moving around.  I put my iphone on record.  I'm videoing them.  They start ruffling their feathers and holding their wings all the way out.  They start picking at bugs and scratching themselves.  They get perky.  I don't have a good view with my phone but it is taping.  Then out of the corner of my eye, I happen to see a dove out on the birdbath getting I drink.  I think "could it be her?"

She flew!

Next thing I know I hear this weird sound, like mumbling, singing, calling.  They little birds get up and start moving toward the center of the porch.  It's MOM!  She's come.  She starts feeding them!  They are all over her.  They are so tightly knit and touching it looks like they are all connected.  They crawl up on her back.  They nuzzle her neck.  They talk dove talk back.  They're SO HAPPY!  I'm so happy!  I've got this all on video!  Wow, Mother Nature you are amazing!  Mom flies off and they stay on the porch.  However, they start moving toward the edge of the porch by the steps.  I'm worried.  I decide to go around the house and shut the little gate on the porch to keep animals off the porch.  I had left it unclosed last night.  I got as close to them as I had yesterday when they did not move.  However, this time the both gave me the eye, spread their wings and off they went, one after the other, flying into the tree just over the fence.  The mama bird is there too; I can see several small doves in there.  "Could they be siblings?"

Wow.  Great.  Praise God, they are flying! All this is happening right in front of me as I stand in my night gown in my front yard.  Is God good or what?

I go around the house and walk in the back door.  As I'm headed back to the window to look out again, I hear this ruckus.  From the window I can see Mom has brought them back onto the porch.  She feeds them AGAIN!  They are all over her, mouths open.  Oh my, I would have not have believed it if I had not seen it with my own eyes.  There are three of them again.  Then, two fly away and one stays.  A tiny one.  And then, he flies off too, into the same tree just outside the yard.  As he is sitting on the branch, I snap his photo.

And they lived happily ever after!

Genesis 1:22
God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”

This is truly a lesson in leaving things up to God.  He really does know what he's doing.  He really does have a plan.  You don't see Mother Nature trying to do it herself.  She lets God lead her.  He shows her the way.  If we follow Him, he will do the same for us.  Praise God!

Encourage One Another, continuing the journey on fresh paths.

Blessings and love to you.