Mourning Doves are not meek or mousy birds. Don’t let them fool you. If you let them have their way, they’ll sit on your feeders and dine voraciously; to such an extent that special adaptors need to be installed to keep your birdseed bill manageable. Don’t get me wrong though, I enjoy watching and feeding them. Usually seen in small groups under my seed feeder ( I’ve got the right bird feeder!), they pick up the crumbs left by the Mexican Jays pecking vigorously into the suet block. Afterwards meandering over to sun together in a stand of grass. Beware walking amongst them, for once startled they bolt in all directions at high speed. My senses awestruck with their flying prowess. Another curious behavior trait is they will be the last bird to settle down for the night. With owls up and around, I always find this curious. Their wingbeats whistle as they fly by me while watching the sunset and the moon rise. Having them as part of our “family” makes me happy. They are after all the universally agreed on Bird of Peace. May you all have a little lively peaceful dove gang under your feeders this holiday season.

Mourning Doves Dining!

photo by songbirdprotection.com