The mourning dove nesting in our treeIn our front yard is what I call our "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" because it looks so ... well, strange! It has a straight trunk and lots of branches, but the leaves are all bunched up at the center of the tree, mostly where the bottom branches join the trunk, with long bare branches sticking out all around. Right in the center of those leaves, a pair of mourning doves has built a nest, and they are taking turns sitting on it.
The doves have been keeping a sharp lookout for L.C., the cat, but also have been very wary of us humans. We seem to have one big round eye that stares at them and lets out a bright flash of light, so the minute they see one of those eyes approaching, off they dart to sit on the roof or the power lines to wait until it is safe again! Gord tried every approach including sneaking around from the back of the house, all to no avail. A picture taken through the glass of our front window just didn't make him happy! So after reading on the internet of the best screens to use to fool birds, he settled on staying in his van and taking pictures through the open window. This sure wouldn't work for me, but it did for him because he attaches his digital camera to his scope so that he can get great closeups.
So here is the shot he got yesterday. Click on the picture to see how long the dove's tail is! It goes almost all the way to the edge of the picture.
(Another one for the calendar he will give us at Christmas, don't you think?!)
3 comments:
This is really beautiful! I can just see him sittin' there in the van and waiting -- with that grim expression and refusal to give up. Well, it was worth it in the end!
Will he be able to choose just 12 pictures? He may have to do one those August '08 - Dec. '09 calendars.
Or better yet, a 24 month!
Beautiful picture.
I'm sure he just loves it that we are planning his life for him!! But I told him, seriously, these pictures are way better than many I have seen in calendars. And if he decides to make one, he better tell me so I can order extras for my friends!
You're right, Renae! Just 12 might be hard!
Yes, Carol-Ann! I think he got that refusal-to-give-up gene from our Dad!
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