It was a great temptation to start giving names to the mourning doves. I had no idea if they were the same birds. They always come back to the backyard and start building a nest on the same unstable spot by the ceiling. It did not surprise me to later find the nest on the patio floor. Sometimes, eggs break open when it falls with the nest too.

Two fruits trees used to be at the far side of the backyard where a deck and pergola now stand. Nest building happened there. Several young ones have already flown out of the nest over the seasons after listening to them chirp and grow. The fruit trees were cut down when it slowly died from disease. I think, now homeless, the mourning doves were just wandering around looking for a good spot to build another home. There is still one more fruit tree at the backyard and I hope they will fancy it as their new home.

I miss seeing the migrating birds at my backyard this year. They usually drop by early in the morning and peck on the grass. I miss them because they look more animated and more colorful than the resident birds. There is no temptation to give them names though because they don’t stay long enough.