ZEBRA DOVES - 18. The doves are visiting

One morning last week I heard the cooing of a Zebra Dove followed by the low gurring noise. There was a pair sitting close together on a horizontal pole of the scaffolding erected around the house under renovation in front of mine. They looked like a breeding pair as one bird tried twice (unsuccessfully) to mount the other. They then sat close together for more than half an hour, at times preening themselves or each other.

All the time I heard cooing coming from nearby, sometimes followed by the typical gurring sound. It was only a little later that I noticed the third bird, perching on a branch of the Golden Penda tree just by where I was standing. It was obviously the adult bird and the pair was the two young adults.

It has been nearly two and a half months since fledging. The young adults are now nearly three months old. I find it interesting that they are still with one of the parent birds for so long. I did not see the three birds around for nearly a month now. But they must have been together all the time.

The doves have been visiting every morning since, usually quietly foraging on my newly trimmed lawn. They appear tame, allowing me to get quite close. But how long more will the three be together?