Mourning Dove

This mourning dove is nesting in the jasmine vine next to the drain pipe on our back porch. He is on his third brood this summer! He's as devoted as my Dad was, and it's nice to think of both of them on Father's Day.

Nesting mourning doves are so brave. They often choose nest sites like this where there's a lot of human traffic, but they will sit as low and still as possible, even when a human gets way too close. If the dove does decide he has to leave the nest, he will engage in that broken wing act to distract the predator from the nest.

How do I know this bird is a he? According to "Western Birds' Nests" by Hal Harrison, the female incubates from dusk to dawn, then the male takes the day shift.