Baby Mourning Dove

Yesterday I was walking my bike through the Home Depot garden center, walking my bike because Home Depot doesn't offer a bike rack anywhere and I'm figuring people trundle those big carts through Home Depot so a bike couldn't hurt even if people look at you funny. I was enjoying the flowers and the cooing of doves from up in the rafters and then I turn down an aisle and see a parade of mourning doves walking along in front of me.

I realize that one of the doves is a lot smaller than the rest and it's apparently oblivious to me and my bike tires and is walking like a foot in front of me, bobbing its little head and just wandering along. I'm keeping an eye on it so I don't step on it or run it over and then up ahead I see the mama bird trying to tempt me away from her baby by doing the I've got a broken wing thing and I'm much easier prey than my baby. I thought maybe I'd better ease her mind and go down another aisle instead of walking along right behind her still oblivious baby.

This is (obviously) not the Home Depot mourning dove mother and baby, but since I didn't have a camera with me yesterday and wanted a picture to go with my post, here you go.


If I were to ever go to work in a Home Depot, the garden center would definitely be the most pleasant part of the store to work in, the cooing of the doves that live there is such a nice sound. I do wonder how many birds get run over by shopping carts, though.