A baby dove hatched in an ashtray and the images are oh so calming

When a bird's nest belonging to a pair of mourning doves and their two eggs was discovered in 2020 in the empty ashtray of the Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre — which is also home to Ducks Unlimited Canada's national offices — the first question was: How long it had been there? The incubation period is about 14 days for mourning doves, but if nobody knew exactly when the nest appeared, how would they know when to expect hatchlings? So they quietly installed a live camera and waited. 

"Watching the doves is so peaceful," says communications and marketing manager, Jacques Bourgeois. Within one week the first hatchling appeared.

The dove chicks (called squabs) are born blind and naked with a thin layer of duvet for protection, so they need their parent's warmth for a few days after hatching. They then stay in the nest for about 14 days where the parents will take turns feeding them.

Check out Dad doing some spring cleaning in this clip, clearing the nest of the broken egg pieces. "This is a good way to keep predators away from the nest and honestly, it must be rather uncomfortable to sit on broken egg shell edges."

It was the first time staff at the Stonewall, Manitoba facility had seen their ashtray used for nesting, as it's often being used by humans — or at least it was before the building was closed due to COVID-19. "I guess it's one of the unintended benefits of having our building closed this spring. Wildlife will take advantage of the areas that were used by people but are now deserted," says Bourgeois.

Oak Hammock Marsh is one of North America's birding hotspots, especially during the spring and fall bird migration seasons. The 36 square kilometres of wetland is home to approximately 300 bird species. You can follow the Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.