Losses and gains

I lost one of my Doves the day before yesterday.  They were all fine in the morning, I went out to the pet shop to get them some new food and when I came back one was dead on the floor.  It was still warm, very warm so only just dead a matter of minutes.  There was barely any sign of damage, just two tiny dots, on just above its beak and another to the side.  It can't have been the Sparrowhawk, I wondered if a Stoat had grabbed it through the side of the net and the shock had killed it.  I will never know but it was very sad and left me with the question of who was it that had died.  The trouble with Doves is they really do all look the same.  Whoever it was I was really sad to see one of my friends dead.

I thought at first it was Bullyboy because he was not sitting on the perch outside the nest hole.  Then I started to worry that it might have been Mrs Bullyboy because the bird sitting on the Bullyboy family nest was not sitting in the same way as Mrs Bullyboy.  She always sat facing outwards and all puffed up, keeping her nest warm.  This bird was sitting facing in with it's tail sticking out.  Also Mrs Bullyboy was rarely seen off her nest.  On the very rare occasion I would see the nest without her and go down to try and peep in she would fly back up and sit there glaring at me like I was a babysnatcher.  The past two days the nest has been unattended a few times.

This afternoon was one of those times and I spotted The Hairy Hubby straining his neck trying to see in.  He approached my study window with a big grin on his face.  Apparently he saw two pink bald babies in there.  Typically he saw something before me as per usual!!  I went down there armed with a chair from the kitchen table and my camera.  The Hairy One is much taller than me and he struggled to see in so I knew I would need some extra height.  I am not so keen on standing on things since my recent undignified tumble off the step-stool while trying to rescue a Dove stuck under the net.  Actually that was six weeks ago and I still have the bruise.  I planted the chair on the grass carefully and it sank in over an inch where the grass is so soggy.  Not terribly encouraging.  I climbed carefully up fully aware that The Hairy One was watching out of the kitchen window waiting for me to do ariel acrobatics again.  I could see something pink but it was not moving and not clear, I am pretty sure it must have been babies.  I did try and get a picture but as I tried to focus in the parent flew back in and sat on the nest. 

I am still undecided which parent is left.  My gut feeling says it is Bullyboy because of the change in brooding tactics but was that due to the eggs hatching?  Not having any experience of this I don't know if they brood tiny young differently to eggs.  I am fairly sure it was one of the Bullyboy family though.  I will keep observing and see if I can work it out.  The net comes off on Friday so I will be able to get closer and have a better look then and maybe some photos!