The World's Most Useless Nest Appears to Triumph

The nest is located just to the top right of the door

After weeks of scorn and ridicule, the flimsy platform of twigs in the rose bush outside the front door is about to make us eat our words. It's probably five weeks or so since a female collared dove appeared there, clamped on her apology of a nest and refusing to be bothered by any of the comings and goings at number 24. Her mate made only the rarest of appearances and, apart from one glimpse of an egg, which was about to fall out of the nest and had to be prodded back in by me, there was no evidence of anything going on underneath her. Until last week, when suddenly she had two large chicks, complete with feathers and looking exceedingly well cared-for. Precisely how this had happened without us noticing remains unclear, but today the youngsters are sitting outside the nest and looking as though their departure date cannot be far off...

 Sitting tight, waiting to grow up.

One chick ventures out of the nest, but no sign of any wingflapping yet.