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Mourning doves trying to get the thistle sock

14 years ago

I hung a thistle sock under an eave near a window. Next to the sock, I have a shepherd's hook with a vine growing up it. The past few days, each morning, a pair of mourning doves flies to the shepherd's hook, and then each one flies past the thistle sock to the gutter then back, in apparent frustration in not being able to reach the thistle sock. I think I might move the shepherd's hook today for the fun of it just to see a mourning dove eating from the thistle sock! I'm easily amused.

Robin

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Comments (3)

callalilykris
14 years ago
I have two thistle feeders and the mourning doves eat the seed that falls to the ground under them. I sometimes have large flocks of them.
gldno1
14 years ago
I always toss a mix of seeds on the ground for the doves, especially the hen scratch which has a lot of cracked corn in it.
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I am beginning to think there is another reason thistle seed might be bad - I've always had thistle socks out - year after year, and suddenly this year the price of the seed skyrocketed. I had put out a large circular screened feeder becz I had so many goldfinches. But they didn't stay long and I thought there was something wrong with the feeder. I know they raise young in July so I put out more socks and it attracted them again right away, but in less than 5 minutes they were all gone. It's the seed they don't like - is there something wrong with this year's 'crop' of Thistle Seed?? Has anyone else noticed this? My pet store (where I get cracked corn for the wild turkeys) told me many people were complaining there were 'no goldfinches this year' - well they come, but they quickly leave. I think the seed is actually bad - and not becz of reseeding thistle plants - which it does, if you don't mow well. I have the goldies on my coneflowers, but not at the feeders as before. I wonder if the seed is contaminated? I don't know how anyone could tell except the birds rejecting it.
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I fill a tube feeder with a millet, corn and sunflower mix, and no catch tray. The birds eating from this feeder drop enough seed to feed the mourning doves on the ground. You could also try putting a tray feeder right at ground level for the doves. I love watching the antics of the doves, and these techniques have worked well to encourage their presence with all the other birds at our feeders.
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sowngrow (8a)
Original Author
14 years ago
I've got a BOSS feeder in another spot in the yard and the doves are often searching for seed on the ground, below it. It's interesting to see them fly over to the top of the shepherd's hook and attempt to reach the thistle sock which is 5' off the ground. I moved the hook closer to the sock to see what they do if they can actually reach the sock as I've never seen a dove eat from a feeder. Does anyone else have the word "eating" in my original post, coming up underlined and green? I didn't do that when I posted and I've never seen that happen before on this site.

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