The Dove’s Nest in the Lemon Tree
Recently right before my eyes, a small but interesting natural story unfolded. The branches of a lemon tree in the yard suddenly became home to a wild dove. This bird isn’t particularly noticeable in the city, but if you look closely, you immediately realize that it has its own order and habits. The dove chose a spot hidden in the greenery and built a nest there. At first, it seemed like just a coincidence, but no - she clearly feels confident and is preparing to hatch chicks.
What’s important is that the climate in Israel allows her to do this. It stays warm here for a very long time. Sometimes even in November the weather during the day can feel like summer, and in winter the temperature rarely drops to anything truly cold. And frosts that could destroy the nest or deprive the bird of food are practically nonexistent here. So the dove isn’t taking much of a risk - she has enough time to incubate the eggs and then spend some more time caring for the chicks until they’re ready to fly.
The nest, by the way, is built very simply. No clever architectural solutions like some other birds use. Twigs, dry leaves, a bit of grass - all held together by the intertwining branches of the lemon tree. It looks flimsy, but in nature that kind of lightness is exactly what’s needed. Why complicate things? The chicks will sit inside, and the mother bird will cover them with her body, by the time they grow up, it’ll already be time for them to leave the nest.
It’s fascinating to watch how the bird behaves. She sits quietly almost without moving,but her eyes are constantly watching everything happening around her. You can feel the caution - after all, the spot is fairly open and there are people nearby. But at the same time you can see that she trusts this location. Probably it’s the combination: the branches are dense enough, the lemon leaves provide good shade, and maybe even the smell of lemon confuses predators and hides the nest's scent.
Usually doves have adapted well to living close to people. You can find them in courtyards,on balconies, in gardens, in parks... Sometimes they choose the most unexpected places for nests, for example, under an air conditioner or on a ledge. But a tree is still a more natural environment.There’s both protection and food nearby. After all in a lemon grove or a vegetable garden you can always find insects, seeds or something edible.
As for timing, everything matches perfectly. Dove chicks hatch about two weeks after the eggs are laid. Then they spend another three weeks in the nest, being fed by the parents. Even if the bird has just laid the eggs, she has almost two months for the full cycle. Until December - and sometimes even longer - the temperature in Israel is quite comfortable. So she has plenty of time.
For a person, such an encounter is a good reminder that nature lives right next to us, even if you don’t think about it every day. What seems like just an ordinary lemon tree, which you’re used to seeing as part of the yard, turns out to also be a refuge for new life. And at some moment you realize that you’ve unintentionally become a witness to a small but real miracle.
Of course it is not worth interfering in this process. It’s better just to observe from the side and be glad that the bird chose this very spot. After that nature will take care of everything itself - the chicks will hatch, grow stronger and fly away.