Tuesday, February 26, 2008

When Even the Ordinary is Unusual

Yes, today's photo is what many would consider just a lowly mourning dove. However, this may be the first mourning dove to ever visit my feeders. I see the birds regularly in the open areas of Roundtop Mountain, but if I've ever had one at my feeders before, I can't remember it.

So why is this one (and three of its best friends) here now? That's what I wondered, too, but I think I have an answer. Larry, my neighbor down the mountain, has taken the reins of the snowplowing duty for our common lane. Larry believes in plowing the snow right down to the ground, unlike some of the other plowboys. And, since our lane is dirt, that soon leaves open ground. And the doves, along with many other birds, are venturing into the woods to get at the grit in the dirt. Everywhere else is still snow-covered or paved, so open dirt is in short supply at the moment.

I don't consider mourning doves to be the brightest bulbs in the birdy world, but now that the doves are venturing into the woods for the grit, they have at least been smart enough to locate the feeders at the back of the cabin. So for me, having a mourning dove at the feeders is pretty unusual. I wish I could tell you what they were eating, since my feeders are nothing but suet, sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, thistle and assorted nuts, mostly peanuts. There's no corn in there, but the doves were happily ingesting something.

Note: Days 5-8 of my 30-day Sit Spot challenge are now posted here.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great Photos, I have a few that hang around my yard sometimes.Most the time, they take off when I tried snap a picture of them.

Carolyn H said...

Cathy,

Thanks! My feeder is about 4 feet from the living room window, and by now the birds are pretty well used to me and the cats watching them.

Carolyn H.

Buford Nature said...

Mourning doves frequent my feeder in N FL. I put a commercial mix in it, and have seen the doves take cracked corn and hemp seeds from it. Possibly, yours are going after the safflower seeds.

Chris said...

Wonderful picture of the mourning dove. I love them, they're nice and gentle. I just uploaded a picture of one!
LOL that they're not the brightest bulb!

ChicagoLady said...

My aunt lives in a populated area here in IL, and she has a couple doves that like to eat from her feeder. Her mix includes the wild bird mix from the store, plus I believe some fruit and nut mix that she adds to it.