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LINTNER: Surprise! The word is ‘Dove’
By AUDREY LINTNER, Blooming Dells
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It’s nice when you have plenty of opportunity to enjoy a favorite hobby.
Take bird watching, for example. One look at my windshield will tell you that there are a lot of birds in this town. The starlings steal the suet, the grackles gobble our grapes and the sparrows swipe the seed. Can’t complain, though, since we put the stuff out for them.
In addition to these enthusiastic diners, we have a few visitors from the shy set: doves.
When the weather is just right, I can close my eyes and be back in California on a cool, foggy morning when the mourning doves are calling to each other.
Depressing name aside, the mourning dove is a beautiful bird with a distinctive rise-and-fall song. With a territory that covers pretty much the entire U.S., you don’t have to go far to find one. While they like a tree when retreat is called for, the dove’s habitat is made up of open areas such as forest edges, deserts, and … ta-dah! The suburbs. Big surprise.
Their range extends from southern Canada to Central America, and they’re year-round residents in all but the coldest locations.
Mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) are easy to identify. They have the classic small heads and pointed beaks of doves, with feathers in rich shades of brown. Males are slightly larger and have pink-tinged chests, but both sexes have white feathers in their tails. They average between 9 and 13 inches in length, and can have a wingspan of up to 18 inches.
Mourning doves are creatures of habit. For instance, they are pretty much guaranteed to lay two eggs in a clutch. As a general rule, they also like to work in shifts. Daddy dove will sit on the eggs from morning until afternoon, while Mama dove takes the evening and night watch. Rarely is a nest left unattended. Said nests are strictly cut and paste; simple constructions of twigs, grass and pine needles.
They’re kinda big for bird feeders, so doves are ground foragers. Easy to please and feeding in flocks or pairs, doves will spend ages patiently hunting for the seeds that make up their diet. Be sure to offer plenty of water along with seed, especially when the weather takes a turn for the burn.
There are some things I just can’t figure out. How they choose what constitutes an Olympic “sport,” for example. The fascination with doves as a game bird is another.
In spite of their popularity with hunters (grumble, mumble), mourning doves are among the most abundant birds we have here in the States, easily ranking in the top 10. According to Cornell University, there is some concern that numbers may be declining out West. Scientists are taking steps to verify this, and have created the Celebrate Urban Birds project to let the average Joe help.
Visit http://www.birds.cornell.edu/celebration/ to sign up for a free kit that includes identification posters, data sheet and instructions. They even throw in a packet of wild sunflower seeds for planting.
I think I’m going to send away for one of those kits myself.
Parents and teachers? Got kids that might enjoy contributing to science? If you take part, drop me a line and tell me about your findings.
Have a great weekend and I’ll see you next time.
E-mail Audrey Lintner at gardenherald@hotmail.com.
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