# Mourning Doves abandoned eggs... Then came back!



## PorchDoves (May 25, 2016)

I've seen a lot of posts about mourning doves abandoning their nests with eggs, but nothing about them coming back! 

I have a pair of mourning doves that have been sitting on 2 eggs outside on my porch, inside my bike basket for about a month. About 3 weeks ago, they went AWOL after a bad storm. My fiancé and I ended up just leaving the eggs in the nest. 

Well! Here it is 3 weeks later and they are back! Two mourning doves are back, with one sitting on the eggs, and one sitting on the bike handlebars as they did before. I am not 100% certain they are the same pair. I know they haven't been around for the 3 weeks, because my cat goes NUTS when they are on the porch. That's actually how we knew they were back this morning.

I am certain those eggs are dead, if they were ever alive... We had a powerful cold snap last week with temps below 40 F during the night..... Are these birds unaware of their dead eggs? Or do you think they are going to reuse the nest? Momma bird looks rather plump... Should I dump the old eggs while they are away? I've grown very attached to these guys, but my bird knowledge is pretty minimal right now. Thanks for any and all insight, everyone!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

They will probably reuse the nest. You could toss the eggs to give them more room, before the eggs start smelling. Looking rather plump has nothing to do with having eggs. They must be the same pair, as I don't imagine another pair would sit on their eggs.


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## amberleaf27 (Nov 16, 2016)

*mourning doves*

there eggs will be no good now but if you take them away they might not come back so I would leave them and let them decide when to stop sitting on them and maybe they will lay new eggs


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## amberleaf27 (Nov 16, 2016)

the eggs will not hatch now but if you leave them they will lay again


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

amberleaf27 said:


> the eggs will not hatch now but if you leave them they will lay again


This thread is from last May. I'm sure they have already done whatever it was they did by now. You can check the date of the post over the post.


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