How do I relocate this baby bird?

Some of you might remember my post from mid-April that a mourning dove had made a nest on my balcony. The egg hatched... probably around May 5th or so.... and the baby was cute....now it's big and still doesn't fly.... it just walks around my entire balcony and poops EVERYWHERE. I NEED access to the balcony and need to rip the rug up and start renovating out there. How much longer til this baby flies??? I can't deal with it much longer and it's going to be atrocious to clean up. I can't even step out there! I'm contemplating trying to put him in a shoebox today and bringing him somewhere, but I don't want it to die if its parents don't find it? I could put it on the ground level of our bldg directly beneath my patio (we're on 2nd floor) so that it's nearby and parents could find it, but will an animal get it? can the parents relocate it? Someone who konws birds, please tell me what's the best to do (besides leaving it there another 3 or 4 weeks until it flies).

Thanks!!

Re: How do I relocate this baby bird?

Do you see the parents coming back? Did they abandon him?

Re: How do I relocate this baby bird?

There's a big tree right in front of the balcony that has a lot of pigeons and mourning doves in it. I haven't seen the parents on our balcony since it was a really small baby a few weeks ago. He's definitely gotten bigger and there are always mourning doves around, but I haven't seen one on the nest lately. I'm never home during the day, so I only raelly see it in the morning before work and on the weekends. DH says he saw the dad once last week walking around the deck.

Re: How do I relocate this baby bird?

Please don't move him...if he is as big as you say, he will fly very soon. Doves and pigeons don't fly early so as to reduce their risk of attack by animals. His defenses are not strong enough to ward off attack yet and if you move him the parents won't find him. They are feeding him if he is getting bigger, most likely when you aren't around. Give it another week or so and he will probably be off on his own.
But please don't move him yet...

Re: How do I relocate this baby bird?

Posted by Gertyrae

Please don't move him...if he is as big as you say, he will fly very soon. Doves and pigeons don't fly early so as to reduce their risk of attack by animals. His defenses are not strong enough to ward off attack yet and if you move him the parents won't find him. They are feeding him if he is getting bigger, most likely when you aren't around. Give it another week or so and he will probably be off on his own.
But please don't move him yet...

Re: How do I relocate this baby bird?

HE FLEW AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Re: How do I relocate this baby bird?

Re: How do I relocate this baby bird?

Great News!!!

Re: How do I relocate this baby bird?

Re: How do I relocate this baby bird?