Mourning Dove abandoned babies! Advice and help appreciated :-) (1 Viewer)

Our lovely mourning dove couple has abandoned their nest!!! they have set up their home just a few feet from our back door on our deck. they are on a trellis just under the eaves of our one story home. They have put up with us for weeks now and all of our activities....with one child and two dogs, we can make some noise now and again. I have been respectful however, not using the deck and not mowing the lawn. but now the babies are about a week old and i thought it was safe to mow....we weed wacked on a low setting on the opposite side of the yard and then stopped before we got too close to her.....

when i went inside to wash up and came back out she was gone! (or he!) I have not once seen the nest unattended. I cant bear to see these babies all alone and unfed.

Does anyone know how long they can be left alone? It has now been about an hour. Is there a chance the male would flee, but the female would return for her shift tonight? It is about 70 degrees and sunny here in RI. they are probably out of any predator danger...they just need food! I wont let them die...If I have to I will find a rehabor or feed them myself.

Any advice and help is very welcome!!!!
Doreen

Actually, you may not have anything to worry about since it's normal for the chicks to be unattended for longer or shorter stretches once they're big enough & well-feathered enough to no longer require constant brooding for temperature regulation. If this is the case with your birds, the parents from now on in will make periodic appearances at the nest to feed the chicks but will no longer spend the whole 24 hours there.

good news!

someone has returned and is busy out there...so you were right! i will try to post more pics of the baby nestlings...thanks so much for your insight.
Doreen