Mourning Dove - Blue Jay attack?
ctlady_gw
13 years ago
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birdist
13 years agoRelated Discussions
Mourning Doves...population growing!
Comments (59)Our doves did try to eat some of the rice I threw out for them as I had read that someone had said they liked rice. Yesterday I noticed that our baby doves were sitting alone but we were also aware that the Mom and Dad were close by watching over them. Late in the day a Blue Jay was after the two little ones sitting in thier nest. Both parents decended on the Blue Jay until he flew away. Neither of the parents went back to the nest; we were concerned that they wouldn't make it to the next day. To our joy we found the Mom sitting on the nest early in the morning. However later both parents were away from the baby doves. Late this afternoon I was thrilled to witness both the Mom and Dad at the nest; Mom was feeding the little ones. And later - no parents, no baby doves. They had left the nest. My previous witness of all four of them together must have been the LAST family gathering. My question is: Do the parents stay with thier young long enough to teach them full flying lessons or do they kick them out of the nest and expect them to survive on thier own?...See MoreHelp! Doves all Day
Comments (6)Hi Karen: I would assume you are talking about Mourning Doves. You may want to try the side feeder types (the ones in which the birds perch on the side to eat). Mourning Doves are quite large and I have never seen one be able to handle the smaller space of a side feeder. I love Mourning Doves. They are always on the ground eating and on our platform feeders (always in a pair as well), so I actually attract them. They become very scared at noise and will fly away at the slightest noise. I am surprised they are keeping other birds away in that ours seem to keep to themselves and do scare quite easily. I take the approach that as long as something is eating the food on the ground, I am happy it is not going to waste. But give a side feeder a try. Good Luck -- Jim...See MoreYard Update--for the birds!
Comments (9)Lol, mustbenuts, you have quite the aviary there! I love the blue jays too but they can be big bullies so they may drive out other birds. I am pretty thrilled about my birds exploits too. I used to have a very old, beat up and rotting out bird house and every year a family of house sparrows would move in and I'd get to watch them hatch and fledge. Well it finally just bit the dust. It was so old and falling apart that it wouldn't hold together anymore. So I replaced it with a beautiful new one. Nothing too fancy but a nice one. I put it out in March just like I had done with the old one. Nothing. 4 years of nothing. Not a single nest ever built. I was heart broken. Well after 5 Michigan winters it doesn't look pristine anymore. Some of the cedar shingles have chipped off and the paint is faded out and guess what...it has a nest in it! I was sitting on the patio the other day and saw a flash of something by it so I turned and looked. There she was, a beautiful yellow finch carrying a twig into the house. Now I'm thrilled!...See MoreHosta Blue 2015
Comments (52)Sunnywood , I would love to edit with names but McTavish could do a better job at this then me. I got far too many hosta at the same time and some of the tags got lost and all snow covered grounds now. Myrle knows where each and every one of my plants are and only a few she didn't know where they are either. Sorry. I got to the point of just loving what they look like and not actually the names now . I just have no more room or energy to start new beds. Never say never though ha ha...See Morectlady_gw
13 years agorachel_frome_ky
13 years agoctlady_gw
13 years agoCharlee_MO
13 years agorachel_frome_ky
13 years agoalan_la
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