Mourning doves- Is this abnormal nesting behavior?

Question

I understand that mourning doves rarely leave their nest unattended- with the male and female taking turns sitting on the eggs. I've noticed that neither is sitting in the nest at night. The nest is in a small palm tree right off my apt balcony and the apt building has a huge and very bright security spotlight on all night, shining directly onto the nest.
Could this be the problem?

Answer 1

Yes that is for sure is a problem. The eggs can not left all night long without either parent tending to them. The embryo will not survive in the egg. It seems that the doves made a poor choice in where they decided to set up housekeeping, and they can not raise a family if they are getting light around the clock.

Sapphyre
Certified Avian Specialist
http://www.borrowed-rainbow.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BorrowedRainbowAviary/

Answer 2

yes this is abnormal behavior. I have 6 pet doves my two breeding pair just hatched their eggs this is their second time. And yes they do take turns in the nest and with feedings.
At night I turn off all lights so the room is dark they quiet down and sleep during the day I open the curtians so the sun shines in on them. They always are on thier nest while there are eggs or they are tending to their little ones.
Eggs need warmth if they get cold even for 5 minutes they will not hatch.
Is there any way to hang something up to block the light?
I am not sure if the light is the reason but it is worth a try.

Also dove eggs usually hatch anywhere from 14 to 18 days so if you have an idea of when they were laid then if it hits 20+ days the eggs are no good . what you can do then if you can reach the nest is remove the eggs and hope they will lay again.Doves lay eggs one at a time with the 2nd egg arriving anywhere from 24 to 36 hours after the first that is why I say 20+ days to make sure the time frame has passed for the 2nd egg. Now doves will stop sitting on the nest of eggs if the hatching time has passed and the eggs did not hatch, could it be the eggs have been in there longer then 20 days? if so the doves know and just quit remove the eggs again if you can.
Also some doves when they lay their first eggs the eggs are not fertile and will not hatch this happened with my doves but after that they have had so far 4 doves hatch two eggs each time in the clutch.

Good luck

Answer 3

There are a few problems with this scenario, If there are eggs in the nest and the parents are not sitting at night sadly the eggs have expired they need 24 hour incubation for the eggs to hatch. If there are babies in the nest you might want to check to see if they are OK, If left unattended and depending on the age they may not be viable either.

A few solutions: If there are eggs in the nest still and you notice that she is sitting during the day but not at night leave the eggs in there and turn the light out to see if she sits. If you are no sure of the status of the goings on in the nest take a look when and only when they are not sitting. If you notice that they leave at a certain time then check then. If there are still things going on in the nest i.e. the babies are alive or there are eggs in the nest, leave everything alone and turn the light out at night that is probably playing a big part in why they are not sitting, they are to vulnerable and they feel to exposed.

Answer 4

the light is prolly scaring the doves
or
they may not have laid their eggs yet
or
there r babies in the nest and they r warm enough for the parents to be sitting on them

if i were u i would get a ladder and check the nest, but try not to disterb the mother and father

Answer 5

If you are really concerned about it (or just curious), call your local wildlife and fisheries and ask to speak to a biologist about mourning doves. Most biologists know an extensive amount of information about the animals in their field and they can pretty much answer any question you might have about these birds.

Answer 6

probably is cuz it seems strange