Community Nesting? Dove and robin sharing same the homestead

Every spring for the last several years, robins have taken up nesting in the light fixture on our front porch. This year was no exception, however, after several days we noticed something odd – there was a new bird squatting next to Miss Robin. Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you – that’s a mourning dove.

Now we can’t wait to see what transpires once the babies are born. Will the mothers get along? How will the babies interact once they are older? So many questions.

Of course, I’ve shared this with E-Bird, and posted it on FB and TW, and shared it with our fellow birders. We have never witnessed cross species displaying this kind of behavior. If you have, please get in touch with me. We’d love to hear from you.

Update – May 22, 2020

Dove and robin still peacefully living side-by-side. However, the robin now has four baby beaks to feed. Mourning dove is still waiting for her brood to hatch.

Update – May 30, 2020

What an interesting week it has been. As you will see in the photo below, it’s been active at the homestead. I saw two doves sitting in the nest, alongside the mother robin who was feeding her two babies. Suddenly, the two doves flew off, and momma robin immediately went over to their nest and began attacking it. I proceeded to shoo her away, afraid of what would occur. Soon after, the dove returned and everything was quiet once again, but what would happen next?

One by one the little robins grew, and I was lucky to see the last one fledge. Now, the mother dove has the place to herself. And much to our surprise, an egg hatched the very next day. I’ve yet to capture a photo of it, but I’ll do my best to share it with all of you.