April 13 -- no new mourning doves

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Of all the sadnesses in the world, this is a small one.

I'd been surprised that the crow who ate the robin eggs in this nest last year had not come back for the mourning dove eggs in the nest this year.  Crows are awfully good at remembering things, or so I've heard.

On the 12th, every time I looked there was a dove on this nest, as there had been for the previous bunch of days.

On the 13th, there was no dove on the nest.  I figured that meant there were no longer any eggs here, and in the late afternoon, I got out my spiffy new ladder.

As sadnesses go, this is a small one.  But I'm sorry this nest will not be productive this year.

I wonder -- once crows have found a nest, is it better to take it down?  So that birds won't waste energy putting eggs here, where they will almost certainly be discovered and devoured?

I'm pretty sure that's illegal.  Messing with songbird nests is verboten, I think.  But I wonder if it wouldn't be better.

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