MaryC

Yesterday I found 2 baby doves on the ground in the bushes right behind my house. One was unfortunately dead - maybe from the fall from the small, flimsy nest I found in the tree above, or maybe from a creature, I couldn't tell, but it was very sad. The other baby seems fine though. I have no idea how old he is, but he seems to have lots of feathers but can't fly. In fact, I haven't even seen him hop around. I looked up all the info I could on the internet, and after calling the local wildlife rescue decided to wait and watch for the mother. Soon, I saw 2 doves (both parents?) watching from a nearby tree and eventually visiting him, so I decided to leave him where he was.

Today, he was in the same place and I saw the mother around again so I guess he's OK. But, I'm worried that being on the ground may not be so safe. We have a fenced yard and my animals stay in, but I have occasionally seen cats in the neighborhood, and possums at night. How long until this little guy can fly?

Also, yesterday when I was afraid he may be hurt, I put him in a shallow container with leaves to look at him more closely and prepare to take him to the wildlife rescue. He is still in the container in the bushes (the sides are about 1" high). Should I take him out? I'm afraid that if I do it won't be easy to check on him anymore since he will blend in with the groundcover.--which I know is the natural protection from predators, so I don't know what to do.
I read about putting them in hanging baskets, but I didn't want to risk him falling out again. I moved the container a little bit more back in the bushes a little while ago to keep him out of the direct sun. I should probably just leave them alone, but I don't want to have another dead baby. Dogs and cats I can handle, but birds just seem so fragile to me I kind of freak out about them.

Any advice/experience would be appreciated. Also, I took a picture of him with my cell phone which I guess I could post (if I can figure out how) if needed. Thanks.

Update: Baby is now out of the container and several feet away from the bushes where he is very exposed now. I saw the mother flying away - maybe she moved him there so she could see him better from her perch??? It's supposed to rain a lot tonight - will he be OK?