Flying Lessons?

This is one of the last shots I have of the Mrs. Mourning Dove and her babies.  I took this one on the 8th.  I tried taking a few yesterday evening, but they really weren't turning out right between the dim light outside and the double-paned windows.  I'm quite worried, because today the nest it EMPTY.

I took this picture of the Robins, which didn't turn out so great, yesterday.  As you can hopefully tell, the three baby robins are so big, they barely fit in the nest.  This morning their nest was also EMPTY.

We spent the morning looking for the birds, and we managed to find the Robins.  But boy, do they blend in with their surroundings!

I call this guy "Johnny," because I don't think he can fly.  He was on the ground all morning.  Whenever we would come too close, Mom or Dad Robins would swoop to the ground.  In fact, we practically saw a dog vs. bird fight when Lexi realized she was right next to this little guy and started to terrorize him.  (He really just looked like a rock for awhile.)  He fell in the little pond during the excitement, but he managed to get back to his rocks after a few terrifying seconds.  Mom and Dad were on the ground all puffed up!  A little later I continued to torment the family by taking several pictures of him.

We found one of Johnny's brothers or sisters perched in a tree high above the driveway.  The parents kept close watch on this baby, too.  One parent camped out on a branch of the same tree directly above.  I took some pictures of the two in the tree, but they didn't come out very good.

I think this is my best picture of the day!  I was right up close to Johnny Robins here.  Plus, I was using my zoom lens.  He was so cute, in that lovable ugly way!  Those little tufts of white down by his "eyebrows" make him look a little like an owl, and he has such a grumpy look on his face!

As I am posting, we still haven't located the mourning doves.  We've seen a couple adults, and we've heard them cooing, but we don't know if they are Mr. and Mrs. Mourning Dove from our nest or not.  We can't see the babies, so I am praying they are safely out learning to fly today.  I don't know if they'll return to the nest or not, but I will keep checking.  There's also an unaccounted-for baby robin on the loose.  Hopefully he or she is also safe.  We'll keep our eyes peeled!