Baby Dove, My Baby Dove

Yesterday, while walking around the worksite, I chanced to see a young mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) perched on a fence around one of our gardens:

The young bird had a bit of downy fluff still, and notably did not fly off even though I approached it closely enough to take this photo on full zoom... a distance of perhaps seven or eight feet. This isn't my first close encounter with a fledgling mourning dove, nor is it the closest I've gotten to a fledgling bird which showed no fear. Adult mourning doves have a not-quite-shy disposition, they seem to take their time assessing a potential threat before winging off with a series of high-pitched chirps quite unlike their usual low-pitched coos. This particular little birdie made a show of being utterly fearless.