Doting On Doves

Despite its size, the mourning dove is a mild-mannered, unassuming bird, unlike the pigeons who are pushy and overbearing. They are always welcome in our garden. Their gentle cooing make a nice change from the racket that the sparrows make every day.

Like the cardinals, they usually arrive in pairs, one, two or even three pairs at a time. We have even seen as many as 14 of these birds in the garden at one time.

They are with us all year round and, because they are rather slow off the mark, tend to be a regular target for the hawk. They are also hunted as game in some parts of the country, more than 20 million birds are shot annually, but because of its prolific breeding – one pair can raise anything up to 6 broods of 2 in a year – its numbers remain strong.

They’re not quarrelsome birds and get on nicely with the others at the feeders, happy to take what they can get without getting into a fight over it. And when the sparrows clear off, it fits nicely into the tray.

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