Monday, December 10, 2012

Love Doves, Et. Al.

Sneaky but elegant---that's how I view our "Love doves."

They're properly called Eurasian collared doves. 

I learned that fact from my birder friend Janet.  She was probably getting tired of my referring to them as "mourning doves."  

What she didn't know was that my incorrect terminology for these frequent visitors was at least a step up from calling them "morning doves."  

I did kinda scratch my head a few years back when it dawned on me that these birds were just as visible in the late afternoons as they were in the morning.  

I'm sure some bird aficionado gently corrected me after seeing that blooper keep appearing on the blob---er blog.   

I actually figured out on my own that church choir singers were really bringing in the "sheaves" rather than gathering up the sheep.  I probably saw the correct word written on some "sheet" music.   

Anyway,  I managed to catch a couple of shots of doves at the feeder through the living room window yesterday afternoon.   

It took some doing because,  as mentioned above, I think these pretty birds pack around at least as much guilt as a bad Catholic.  

They seem to be "on the sneak" all the time cuz someone might spot them sitting on that limb or on that bird feeder or the fence.

And, that must be a bad thing in a dove's conscience cuz they sure fly off fast. 

Yesterday I spotted two of the birds sitting proudly at the feeder just after rounding the corner at the bottom of the stairs into the living room. 

In split second, they had vanished.

The one habit I've learned about doves at the Lovestead, though, is that they do come back----usually soon after their most recent escape. 

So, I went back upstairs, grabbed my camera and set it up for a quick shot. 

Some waiting was involved,  and a couple of near misses occurred, as I inched closer to the window and they took flight and moved farther away. 

Eventually, my patience won out when this this single dove put on a show, apparently unaware of my presence as I stood like a statue, clicking the camera inside the window. 

Last year,  when I set up the bird feeders outside our living room window, I never dreamed how much my family and visitors would enjoy the frequent picture-window visits from chicadees, finches, doves, town squirrels (sorry Stan) and pine squirrels. 

It was a good move, and now that winter is here, these critters will continue to provide us delightful entertainment and a chance to catch some neat photos. 

Happy Monday.


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It wasn't that long ago that I realized "morning" doves were actually mourning doves. I like the name love doves best.
The bird feeder is one of the best entertainments we have found - can't say the cheapest since we spend quite a bit on seed.
Janet

Anonymous said...

Oh yes, and I love the pictures as well as yesterdays. Of course, I always love your pictures.
Janet

laurie said...

These photos are so beautiful! i love how the doves just accept the winter scene, as if they are above any kind of weather.