Lunch with Dad

I got to witness the changing of the guard and lunch service while I was eating my cheese and cracker lunch at my desk.  Mama Dove had been sitting on the two chicks all morning, when Papa Dove returns. He flies back from wherever,  landing on the ledge of the birdhouse.  He coos a few times, signaling that he  can take over so that Mama can take a break.  She ruffles her feathers, then gets up and flies off.  Papa strolls over to the babes, sits down and proceeds to serve lunch.  The chicks took turns sticking their beaks into Papa's beak.  I had to google what was actually transpiring.  According to "Birds and Blooms", both parents "nurse" their young. "Male and female adults produce “crop milk,” an antioxidant-rich liquid secreted in their throats. The milk is also high in fat and protein. Both parents feed this milky substance to the young while they are still in the nest. Eventually, their diet transitions to seeds, an adult mourning dove’s main source of food."  How cool is that?  Equality and equanimity in the avian world.