Friday, August 19, 2016

A BIRD'S WORLD: FULL OF HOPE


Ring-necked doves, which are much larger than mourning doves.



Two mourning doves just built a nest on top of the rain gutters at the corner of our roof.  They have tried this place before several years ago. At that time we had an active hawk nest in the Sycamore tree in our front yard. One day as I stood in the kitchen, I heard two loud bumps, looked out our window to see a hawk with a dove in its claws, fighting to get out from under our porch overhang with his large catch. By the time I got outside, all that was left was a pile of feathers.






A bird's world is a tough place. We have had robins, finches, hawks, and doves build nests in our yard. Very few of them succeed in producing babies. Big birds such as the hawk, blue jays, and crows, which chased the hawks from their nest, eagerly fly through our yard looking for a new meal. I often find clumps of feathers near our bird feeders. One less bird in our yard. Now I've discovered that even small birds go after each other.




I found an egg in a nest under a spider plant that has been used several times by junkos without much success. The nest had been abandoned leaving behind one egg with a small hole in it. House wrens are known for attacking the eggs of other small birds. The hole in the egg was so precise that I can only guess that another bird was the culprit.







Each morning as I walk into our dining room, I look up to see the mourning dove. She is perched on her nest, just her head visible. Sometimes the male comes and wanders around the gutter near her. I am glad so far they are safe. Their repeated attempts to create new life fills me with hope.

Thanks to my husband Bill  for sharing these amazing bird photos!


I'm a little late posting today. Internet problems!

8 comments:

  1. I so look forward to your posts. Being an avid avian aficionado I especially appreciated this one. Ever since we sold our house a year ago we have been "free as birds" and we like to remind ourselves of that. Although, your post reminds me that even birds have their own troubles. Thanks again - be well.

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    1. Thank you, Sara. Just from reading this comment, I think you have a writer in you!

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  2. Lovely pictures and sad story...I am also a bird lover. The hummers are my favorite.

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    1. Thanks, Jan. Watching a predator catch prey in real life is hard. I have to stop to honor that life each time.

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  3. Enjoyed your blog about the back yard bird adventures. I've been interested in birds since I got a bird book back in 1950 which I still have.I filled the back pages with bird sightings, some of them somewhat questionable.

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  4. Officially, they're European Collared Doves, and that always makes me think of elegant dowagers with fox stoles around their necks.
    I think that's a Sharp-Shinned Hawk on your feeder--they are the fighter pilots of the avian world--180 degree turns and so fast they're a coppery-brown smudge in the air surrounded by floating feathers. They specialize in the art of ambush.

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  5. Teejay,
    thank you for naming the doves and our hawk, who swoops through our yard just like your description. Now we know what we are watching by name. We couldn't find them in the book we have.

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