I caught sight of her in the Blue Spruce. There has been a lot of coo, coo, coo-ing in the back yard, I knew my Doves were there. We have a pair of Mourning Doves nesting in our tree every year. This year is unusual. This year Global Warming has tricked Mother Nature. While most Years in March, the tree is still icy and covered with snow here in Ontario, this year the weather is like summer. The Doves have been fooled and it is not right.
They have their nest built and she is already sitting on her first of many broods for the summer. The photos are not top-notch because I did not want to disturb her.
According to http://www.a-home-for-wild-birds.com/mourning-dove.html Doves mate for life. The male gathers the material to build the nest while the female waits. He then stands on her back and hands her the twigs and she weaves them into a nest. Dove nests are not as elaborate and perfectly shaped like Robins or many other birds, but they do the trick and she will have five or six broods each year. Doves never leave the nest unattended. Both the male and female take turns sitting on the nest. It is nice to see that in nature, families share the work.
In the wild they will eat pine nuts, which are plentiful in the Blue Spruce, wheat and corn. They also enjoy a variety of other seeds. At feeders, they prefer sunflower, safflower and millet seeds. They do not migrate because seeds are available in all seasons.
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Nice picture. I have many of them around the house… and they seem to know how to keep out of reach of the cat.
That is a gorgeous bird… 🙂
We get Collared Doves in Europe.
How fun to be able to keep an eye on their family making!
So pretty and such a hard worker 🙂
What a beautiful picture, so sweet. It is crazy, seeing flowers bloom ahead of time, and today is 70 degrees here in New Jersey, One thing that puzzles me is that I have not seen a robin yet and we get tons of robins. I don’t get it, they should be here, at least with this weather. Last year a caught a glimpse of a whole bunch, too early as we had snow on the ground, tons of snow.
We have the robins back here in Ontario, for over a week at least. I wonder why they are avoiding New Jersey… (is it the “Situation” they are avoiding?.. sorry.. I couldn’t resist..)
LOL 🙂
How pretty she is!
Beautiful photos. I love doves, and have a few here in my yard also. I love the sound of their wings when they fly by.
I love the sound of thier wings too, the only squeaky bird I know.
That’s so sweet!
Humans could take a hint…
She has beautiful muted coloring. I didn’t know that Mourning Doves were such devoted parents. That’s awesome!
We have a pair of little morning doves here, too. I love listening to their coos among the chirping of the other birds. Together, they create quite a concert.
Five or six broods…? I wish my sex life was so active!!!
lol, but would you want that many “broods” a year?
lovely! i love spring!
I have a pair also…every year like “Clockwork” as they say…they appear…ENJOY! ~mkg
Beautiful photos.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
i have two pair in my yard also. i love all birds