Mourning Doves 5/5/2015

This pair of Mourning Doves had been hanging around all day in the lilacs.

I have heard these called Turtle Doves or Rain Doves but we usually refer to them as just Doves.

When they take flight their wings make a whistling swoopy sound and clicks. Other than that they make a cooing sound. They are not very timid and if careful, one can often walk right up to them.

They remind me of the pigeons I used to keep when I was young except the doves seem to be a bit smaller.

We see them feeding on the ground around the station picking up millet spilled by other birds. I personally have never seen one in a feeder. We were going to remove the millet from the feeder but it seems like the doves eat it on the ground so I don’t think it will hurt anything to continue with the seed. I think the sparrows eat millet and small seed too.

This pair has been around for about a week and I wonder if they are looking for a place for a nest. I think I will keep an eye on them. I hope they will not choose one of the soft maple tree we have tagged for removal.

From what I have learned Mourning Doves are monogamous so maybe this pair will treat us to some little ones.