On Monday I went to work and all was fine. On Tuesday morning when I got up there was a rather sloppy, rather large nest on my bedroom window ledge that I knew wasn’t there Monday. I did call my husband to be sure, though.

On Wednesday a bird came and sat in the nest. I was flabbergasted. Right next to my air conditioner in my window- so clear, so close. Thursday there was an egg I glimpsed as the bird rose up for an instant.

I became obsessed, proud of this phenomenon. I went to the Internet to see what bird had deemed my bedroom hers. She was pudgy and brown but then next viewing she was bigger and reddish and prettier. Odd- how could she change so? Did she do her make-up and hair?

My husband Steve said he thought our bird was a dove- and I narrowed it down after 4 hours on the Internet to a "mourning" dove and found out it was the husband and the wife who share the egg tending duties- plain wife, handsome husband. I named her Lovey and him Dovey, Lovey and Dovey Dove. My husband suggested other names like Mammie and Ike or Pat and Joe but I found the doves and watched them, so by sheer willfulness I won the name contest. The doormen came to view the doves, as did my superintendent, and any friend who crossed the threshold was hauled instantly to the bedroom where they seemed as enchanted as Steve and I were.

Our bedroom became Lovey and Dovey’s room. We didn’t turn on lights near the nest (it might be bad for the babies). I had learned there were always 2 babies per family. I learned this from the 33,285 entries about mourning doves on the Internet. The nest building is one day, the gestation period is 13-14 days and the mortality rate for the babies is 80%. I became fearful. I was afraid the air conditioner would vent on Lovey and Dovey who were under such bad odds for their offspring. Therefore, Steve and I sweltered in 98 degrees. No air conditioner for us.

Watching them was a bit like watching the Andy Warhol movie Sleep but I was engrossed, enthralled and ran to the window on rising and returning home. I chatted at them like a grandparent- who else has doves like mine?

The babies hatched on July 24th at 8 and 9 am respectively and I watched constantly as they broke through their shells. I named the babies "Lovette" and "Dovette" and I called everyone I knew to come see them but by now, my friends were getting quite bored with this new addiction of mine. But I loved Lovette and Dovette and was thrilled to see them thrive and test their wings. Then they really tested their wings and left. They just left. Devastation- not even a goodbye.

But two days later, my husband woke me as a dove was on our ledge. I recognized Dovey, the father, but my husband was sure it was a dove real estate broker looking for good nest areas for next summer.

by Tina