Dog alerts rescuers to baby doves

By Joanna Fitzgerald | Director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital

Two mourning doves were among the 50 animals admitted to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida this past week.

A dog out on his daily walk alerted his owner to two baby mourning doves whose nest had fallen to the ground. The doves’ rescuer found renesting information online. Since the nest had fallen from large royal palm, which was inaccessible, the doves were renested in a nearby oak tree.

After a day-and-a-half passed, the rescuers called the von Arx Wildlife Hospital for guidance. They had been monitoring the doves but they were concerned as to whether or not the parents were still caring for their babies.

Hospital staff advised that the doves be brought to the hospital for a checkup. Seeing the babies would help us determine if they had been recently fed and also evaluate their behavior.

When the babies arrived, they were alert and responsive, albeit a bit damp. The doves had not been fed but there was good feces in the nest which indicated feeding had occurred in the recent past. Hospital staff wanted to attempt a renesting since the condition of the doves indicated the parents may have still been caring for their babies.

Staff gathered the babies and equipment needed to renest in the nearby oak tree and monitored for activity at the nest by the parent doves. A dove was seen in the royal palm where the nest had originally been but the parents did not fly down to the oak while we were watching.

A second check of the nest later the same day showed the baby doves had not been fed and no adults were seen in the area. At that point, hospital staff thought it best to bring the babies to the hospital for continued care.

What You Can Do

Trying to keep young wild animals under the care of their parents is always the best option so while renestings can be difficult, it is worth the time and effort. Renestings require the situation be monitored until it is proven the babies are receiving the parental care they need. Some renesting situations will be checked on for several days until we are sure all is well — each situation is different.

Please, if you find an animal you believe may be orphaned, or an active nest has been disturbed, call the hospital at 239.262.CARE for advice immediately. Hospital staff has vast knowledge and experience renesting many species of wildlife. Staff knows what pitfalls to look out for and what can be done to increase the chance that a renesting is successful.

Recent Releases

A red-tailed hawk, six eastern cottontails, two Florida softshell turtles, a great horned owl, four blue jays, two brown pelicans, three Virginia opossums, seven raccoons, four mourning doves, a red-bellied woodpecker, four northern mockingbirds, a common nighthawk, a striped mud turtle, a Florida red-bellied turtle, a mottled duck, three American crows, a double-crested cormorant, and a gopher tortoise were released this past week.

Opportunities to Help

Please visit the Conservancy website at www.conservancy.org to view all of the amazing volunteer opportunities at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Your volunteer time, memberships and donations are vital in helping us continue our work to protect Southwest Florida’s water, land, wildlife and future.

A week inside the von Arx Wildlife Hospital

Weekly blog from Joanna Fitzgerald, director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital.

Conservancy of SWFL

Written by

Protecting Southwest Florida's unique natural environment and quality of life...now and forever.

A week inside the von Arx Wildlife Hospital

Weekly blog from Joanna Fitzgerald, director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade