What's Buzzing or Flying near you today......2016

Shouldn't it be, Wotcha? (Or more correctly, wotcha cock!)

 

Advice needed

Two of our resident collared doves have decided to nest in a most inconvenient place. Inconvenient place for us, not them!

It's in the pergola that runs from our gate by the car port, through to the back garden and summerhouse (some of you may recognise it as it's where we have the book sale on Open Day). It's probably the busiest place in the garden and will most definitely be busy on Open Day with hundreds of people going backwards and forwards directly under the nest! Also there will be fairly loud music right near them for the whole weekend as the entertainment area is 10ft from them.

In the last few days they appear to have finished building the nest (seems to be just a load of twigs) and they've picked a perfect place - from their point of view.

This is the view from inside the pergola and they started the nest about a week ago just behind the angled piece of wood in the corner. So it has three sides to it - and it also is rainproof as there's a Perspex roof over the top.





I didn't really notice it when they first started building as I just thought they found the pergola a good place to sit, and they flew away each time when I walked through.

Having not been in the garden for a couple of days I now find that there's a substantial nest there and am worried that if they have a brood they may abandon them if there's a lot of traffic going past. They'll have to take the chance that Sarafi the cat won't get up there .

Although there's usually one of the pair sitting on the nest most of the time (I can't tell the difference between them) I don't think they have any eggs there yet.





The reason I think that is because they are sometimes both sitting on the roof of the summerhouse and also at the feeder.





I've already come to the conclusion that I'm not going to be able to clean that wall of the summerhouse this time although it really needs it (usually pressure hose it before Open Day).





If they haven't yet got any eggs in the nest would it be best for me to chase them away so that the babies won't be disturbed by the crowds on Open Day? Only four and a half weeks to go.

 

@martin-f thanks

When it says 'incubation 14-16 days' and 'fledge 18-21 days' I guess that means a possible total of 31-37 days. Assuming they have just laid the eggs then that could take us into the troubling stage as we now only have 28 days to go before the garden gets set up and 30 days to the crowds (hopefully) arriving. Are they likely to abandon the chicks if that's the case?

For the last few years we've had blue tit chicks in the nesting boxes and they have been OK, but they're in a bit quieter place.



They're correct when they say it's a flimsy platform of twigs. Fortunately they've picked a solid base.

 

He used to spend a lot of time up there but doesn't seem to like the corrugated perspex roof we put on it a few years ago. So that's a good thing

That's a nice idea but not really possible. We can make sure that they get used to us walking around near them and they will have some noise because I still have a lot of pressure hosing to do. Are they less likely to abandon the nest once the eggs have hatched? As I can delay the pressure hosing until then.

Time out is just not possible. Those of the GC members that have been along know how busy it gets where they have nested. It's the main thoroughfare between the front and back garden and the only way people come in. With hundreds of people here all day long there's no way we could stop them from moving around. They're also only 10ft or so from where all the entertainment is.

The book stall will be directly underneath them so they can improve their minds whilst they're sitting there.

 

Seen from Shineyland today.