When Doves Gather

Every night for the past couple of weeks, this tree that borders the Nashua River and is visible from our mill apartment window has hosted a large gathering of Mourning Doves.

This isn't a nightly gathering of just a few doves. Several evenings, we have counted upwards of 30 doves, while other evenings there have been less than half that number.

We have a front-row seat nightly as the doves usually arrive by our dinner time and our table is by the window. They start arriving one-by-one anywhere between 6 and 6:30 pm and remain anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes. All take flight by sunset.

Apparently, this behavior is not unusual and according to online information, Mourning Doves, when not breeding or nesting, will often form large flocks and can be seen perching on tree branches, telephone wires and lamp posts in groups of 12 or more. 

We've noticed that this current nightly sit-in is very peaceful with as many as four or five doves sharing the same tree branch. The most activity is that the doves preen their feathers.

An online check of the term for a collection of Mourning Doves produced several terms for a group of doves, including: cote, dole, bevy, flight and dule (French word for mourning). Their name derives from their soft distinct and sorrowful coo-ing calls which is usually coming from a male seeking a mate. Doves have been known to watch over a deceased mate, try to care for them and return to the place where the bird died. They will eventually seek a new mate.

The Mourning Dove is a small-headed dove with a graceful, slender-tail, light gray and brown and generally muted in color with well-defined black spots on their wings. Their pointed tails are longer than those of other doves enabling the birds to fly fast; they have been clocked at 55 mph. Males and females are similar in appearance, the species is generally monogamous.

The Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) is a member of the dove family, Columbidae. Also known as the American mourning dove, the rain dove and colloquially as the turtle dove. It was once known as the Carolina pigeon and Carolina turtledove. 

Unfortunately, as the most widespread and abundant game bird in North America, these birds have a high mortality rate. Hunters harvest more than 20 million annually, yet the Mourning Dove remains one of the most abundant birds with a U.S. population estimated at 350 million. Predators include raccoons, hawks, owls, squirrels, snakes, cats and dogs. Disease and weather extremes also take a toll on young and adult doves.

How long we'll continue to witness this nightly gathering is uncertain. But, as long as the doves gather on this tree near our window, we'll be watching these peaceful birds.

Hopefully, they will remain in this area through the winter; however many move south in late fall. If fellow blogger David G. can provide additional information, it would be appreciated.

Has anyone else seen a similar gathering where you live?

Feed Me!

This is not a story about Audrey the plant from the Little Shop of Horrors. Instead, it's about the occupants of this weathered little red birdhouse.

House sparrows are more closely associated with humans than any other established North American wild bird. There are about three dozen species of sparrows in North America. The species was introduced to New York City in 1851 when NYC faced a serious problem. The snow-white linden moth was devouring fruit trees and leafy elms. City officials hoped the sparrows would devour the moth larvae and they did.

But, there's is a similarity between the fictional Audrey and sparrows — a non-stop appetite. After eating moth larvae, sparrows devoured vital crops, stole the nests of native birds, and flourished in urban habitats by killing off weaker species — in short, they were predators, especially targeting bluebirds. By the 1980's, America’s indigenous bluebird population was in steep decline. It has since been coming back.

Sparrows flourish in large cities and country settings, and can often displace other birds from nest boxes, (I'm unsure if that happened here.) This sparrow family occupied half of a two-nesting birdhouse, which must have been tight quarters.

This duo kept the mother and father sparrow quite busy every 5-10 minutes. Although they are primarily seed-eaters, sparrows also eat small insects and considerable supplies are required to feed the young ones. 

Another similarity to Audrey . . . Come on back and feed me us!

These sparrows were in a mimosa tree at our grandchildren's Rhode Island backyard where we visited last week. We don't have birdhouses in our Virginia backyard, but there are plenty of crepe myrtle trees which annually host several families.

How about you — birdhouses or not?

Broken Home

That describes the situation faced by this lone baby robin earlier this week. Even though he had the beginnings of flight feathers he wasn't able to fend for himself and not ready to leave the nest, but had no choice. 

His home was blown down from a crepe myrtle tree alongside our home.

We found the nest remains close to the roadside near our home. Pat moved the nest parts  and its lone occupant closer to the house near hedges which offered shelter from the elements and possible predators.

Its parents knew where this young one was and continued to care for it. That bit of red showing is not an injury but a berry that fell from a nearby bush.

The nest crashed down Monday morning and as of late yesterday (Wednesday) this young one was doing well, surviving overnights and a couple of downpours. Its parents kept close watch nearby, chirping loudly when we passed to check in.

We will be out of town for a few days, hopefully he will fledge and fly off before we return. And, maybe one day return to raise a family in one of our crepe myrtle trees.

Last to Leave

Crepe myrtle trees in The Frog & PenguINN yard have hosted many nests over the years, most recently two robin nests.

This was the mama robin a couple of weeks ago — sitting and waiting . . .

And this was the last hatching ready to fledge and leave the nest, but in no hurry.

Under the watchful eyes of its parent who perched on the nearby patio fence.

We didn't see any other nest-mates before they left and hope they fly off safely.

Mother's Day with Feathers

Today is a day to celebrate mothers, including this mom robin who set up home in the red cedar tree of our front yard.

While she raised her family of four young robins (chicks).

Feeding time was always a busy time as both parents feed this always hungry group..

The chicks grew very quickly  — these photos were all taken within one week. 

And soon all were gone, leaving their home neat for perhaps a new family..

Wishing all blog moms a Happy Mother's Day.

Temporary Tenant

Spring has brought a new tenant to the Frog & PenguINN yard. 

This temporary lodger is nesting in this front yard red cedar tree. It's not the first time that this little tree has hosted a family. In the past few years, several robin families found this an ideal spot.

Only the female robin can brood  the eggs which will hatch 12 to 14 days after incubation Both the male and female robin parents then play an active role in feeding the baby robins (called chicks) and will spend almost every hour searching for food, then returning to the nest every few minutes all day long, sunrise to sunset. 

Th chicks will leave the nest (fledge) about 14 to 16 days after hatching. We expect to see these young robins hopping around the yard until their wings are strong enough for flight. Meanwhile, the adult robins will be hovering close by, feeding and protecting them until they become self-sufficient — just like most parents.

DO you have any recent yard wildlife visitors?

Fanning the Nest

Sure, that's a strange title, but not as strange as what's been going on this week on our front porch. We really enjoy sitting here on nice afternoons.

But lately, our overhead space is being invaded by house finches that have been trying to build a nest on the ceiling fan blades. The fan is directly above the rockers and definitely not a good nesting spot. Several times a day we've been clearing nesting materials (seen below) from the front porch.

Grenville heard that birds fear snakes, so this is one solution he's trying. So, far, it hasn't seemed to deter these house-hunting finches.

Has anyone had a similar problem ?

If so, HOW did you handle it . . .

And, did it work ? 

Snow Birds

The Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) is the most well-known species of the Juncos, a genus of small grayish American sparrows. Easily recognizable by their crisp markings and bright tail feathers they are one of the most abundant forest birds of North America.

They're called "snow birds" since in most of the eastern U.S. they appear as winter sets in and retreat northward by springtime. Their appearance at backyard feeders in temperate areas is considered a sign of winter's arrival.

In North America, Black-eyed Juncos are one of the most common birds, found across the continent from Alaska to Mexico, California to New York. Recent counts place the total junco population at about 530 million. (Wonder who did all that counting?)

Dark-eyed Juncos are mainly seed-eaters and at feeders, prefer millet over sunflower seeds. During breeding season, they also eat insects, including beetles, moths, butterflies, caterpillars, ants, flies and even wasps.

Most of the year, these birds are solitary, but during the winter months they often band into small flocks or form mixed flocks with other small, seed-eating birds such as chickadees, nuthatches, and other sparrows, like these. 

What's at your backyard feeders now?

Snuggle & Share

Keeping warm on a winter's day . . .

Can be hard to do.

There's some who prefer to dine alone . . .

While others share together (even if briefly) . . .

These images were captured in the F&P yard this week from an inside view.

We hope you are keeping warm during this very cold weather. Enjoy the weekend.

Seeing the Blues

This year there’s been an unusually large number of blue jays at the backyard feeders. They are often hoggish at the feeders, scaring other bird species away. To their credit, however, they are more colorful to see than the even more hoggish, but very unattractive, starlings and grackles.

But to their credit, the blue jay can be beneficial to other birds, as it has been known to chase predatory birds, like hawks and owls, calling loudly if it sees a predator within its territory. Jays have also been known to sound an alarm call when hawks or other dangers are near; smaller birds recognize this call and hide away. A blue jay may impersonate a raptor’s call, especially those of the Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, possibly to test if one is in the area or to scare off other birds that may compete for food sources.

A few months ago, this young bird was a frequent feeder visitor. Young jays can remain with their parents for one to two months. The male blue jay feeds the female while she sits on the eggs and when they hatch, both parents feed the young. Blue jays fledge in about 3 weeks. Sexual maturity is reached after one year of age.

Blue jays have quiet, almost subliminal calls which they use among themselves in proximity. While in other parts, blue jays migrate for the winter, they are usually seen year-round here in Virginia. 

Blue jays are known for their intelligence and complex social systems with tight family bonds. Sexes are similar in size and plumage, which doesn’t vary in color through the year.

Blue jays are mostly vegetarians and most of their diet is composed of acorns, nuts, and seeds, and also caterpillars, grasshoppers, and beetles. They also control insect populations by eating large numbers of tent caterpillars when they leave the tents. And, blue jays are credited with aiding the spread of forests as they often store acorns in the ground and fail to retrieve them.

The blue jay is the team symbol of the major league baseball team, the Toronto Blue Jays. It’s also the official bird of the province of Prince Edward Island in Canada.

Hedge Sitters

Early mornings we have a lite breakfast before heading to the local YMCA and there’s a lot of “company” outside the dining room window. Three feeders are located near a row of hedges, which an assortment of wrens, sparrows and finches find very convenient. 

Do you also have breakfast with any backyard visitors?