While I was engaged in the performance of my duties early in the morning a couple of days ago, I was fortunate enough to witness one of nature's wonders. Not really anything majestic, but something quite miraculous and spectacular in its own right. I saw a dove fly off the ground and land about midway up a pine tree. The little dove grasped in its beak a single blade of a dead weed. Personally, I have never seen much use for weeds, whether dead or alive, but on this day, the dove needed this particular dead weed.
Landing on what was apparently a suitable branch, for what I still did not know, the dove walked up and down the branch, looking all around and even under the branch. It walked a few feet up the branch, another few feet back the way it came, all the while bearing the dead weed in its beak. I was not sure what was going on, and almost came to the conclusion that the little bird had gotten too much sun the day before. But what the little dove did next was truly amazing, and I am blessed to have seen it happen.
The dove apparently found a suitable spot on the tree limb just in the fork of a small branch of that limb. The bird then began, and I promise I am not making this up, pulling the weed through its beak with one foot, then the other, pulling the weed back and forth. I was confounded as to what the bird was up to, but about this time I noticed that the dead weed was no longer straight. The dove had shaped that piece of weed into a curve. This was amazing enough to me, given that most birds, including this particular dove, do not have fingers with which to manipulate objects. But what happened next was even more amazing to me. The dove took the weed, now bent, and somehow wedged it into the fork of that limb and branch in such a way that the weed now made a half-circle. The dove then flew away, returning only seconds later with another dead weed. The same amazing performance was continued with the same results. About this time a second dove joined the first, an almost identical piece of weed in its mouth as well.
I have to say that by now I had figured out what was going on. These two doves, love mates, were obviously building a nest. I continued watching their activities for a few minutes. In less time than it has taken me to write this blog, the basic form of the nest had taken shape. The two birds, with no training other than what was "instinctive" to them, had done what many people could only do with some glue and a lot of patience. Occasionally one mate or the other would affix a new weed or small stick, only to see it fall away from the nest to the ground. Without missing a stride, the bird would fly away to wherever the mother lode was and return with another piece of weed or grass and put it in place of the lost weed. The two doves were still thus engaged as I left my observation post to take care of an assignment.
Two nights later and I went to the same location on another errand. When I got there, I looked into the pine tree to see what had happened with the two doves. The nest was there, but now it was fully completed and occupied. I could see a single timid brown eye staring at me over the rim of the nest. The two little doves had built a cozy home that would most likely stand up to all the wind and storm that might befall them, and would provide a warm place for them to hatch their children. All this started with one dove finding one piece of a dead weed.
Imagine. I thought weeds were useless!
Landing on what was apparently a suitable branch, for what I still did not know, the dove walked up and down the branch, looking all around and even under the branch. It walked a few feet up the branch, another few feet back the way it came, all the while bearing the dead weed in its beak. I was not sure what was going on, and almost came to the conclusion that the little bird had gotten too much sun the day before. But what the little dove did next was truly amazing, and I am blessed to have seen it happen.
The dove apparently found a suitable spot on the tree limb just in the fork of a small branch of that limb. The bird then began, and I promise I am not making this up, pulling the weed through its beak with one foot, then the other, pulling the weed back and forth. I was confounded as to what the bird was up to, but about this time I noticed that the dead weed was no longer straight. The dove had shaped that piece of weed into a curve. This was amazing enough to me, given that most birds, including this particular dove, do not have fingers with which to manipulate objects. But what happened next was even more amazing to me. The dove took the weed, now bent, and somehow wedged it into the fork of that limb and branch in such a way that the weed now made a half-circle. The dove then flew away, returning only seconds later with another dead weed. The same amazing performance was continued with the same results. About this time a second dove joined the first, an almost identical piece of weed in its mouth as well.
I have to say that by now I had figured out what was going on. These two doves, love mates, were obviously building a nest. I continued watching their activities for a few minutes. In less time than it has taken me to write this blog, the basic form of the nest had taken shape. The two birds, with no training other than what was "instinctive" to them, had done what many people could only do with some glue and a lot of patience. Occasionally one mate or the other would affix a new weed or small stick, only to see it fall away from the nest to the ground. Without missing a stride, the bird would fly away to wherever the mother lode was and return with another piece of weed or grass and put it in place of the lost weed. The two doves were still thus engaged as I left my observation post to take care of an assignment.
Two nights later and I went to the same location on another errand. When I got there, I looked into the pine tree to see what had happened with the two doves. The nest was there, but now it was fully completed and occupied. I could see a single timid brown eye staring at me over the rim of the nest. The two little doves had built a cozy home that would most likely stand up to all the wind and storm that might befall them, and would provide a warm place for them to hatch their children. All this started with one dove finding one piece of a dead weed.
Imagine. I thought weeds were useless!
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