gone

Our little cutie is gone. No eggs, no mate, just gone.

One afternoon I noticed that she and a male were building the nest together. Mourning doves are monogamous, so he must have been her partner. After that day, I didn't see the male again.

I learned that they "take turns" at the nest, with the male usually tending to it during the morning and afternoon. Since I always saw the female there during the day, I thought that perhaps they were the avian "odd couple". Then I realized that she was there morning, noon, and night.

Sans mate.

I'd like to think that he ran off with a younger, hotter bird-babe, but, given the monogamy of the species, I suspect that it's a bit more likely that he somehow met an untimely demise.

And so, I now know firsthand what empty nest syndrome is like.

:(