There’s nothing newsworthy about doves on the roof. And, as much as I hate to admit it, a gutter full of twigs is not unusual, either.
However, in this instance the two are related.
It wouldn’t be my first choice, were I seeking a place to nest, but she seems content.
Fortunately, this part of the roof doesn’t drain much. As long as we don’t get any tropical storms, the nest should be safe.
There’s a family of doves in our front flower bed. Two fledglings, with two tired parents, spent yesterday and today following patches of sun through the irises. I’ve enjoyed watching them, and so have the cats.
The blue jay eggs hatched sometime within the last week. Driven by feeding duties and protective instincts, the blue jay parents spend every daylight moment foraging and feuding.
When we first noticed their increased activity, my husband put a handful of seed on the deck railing. It quickly disappeared. The next day, he put out a little more seed, then waited with his camera. Now he and the blue jays share a daily ritual of feeding and photos.
The losers in this new relationship are the cats, who usually treasure these spring open-window weeks. Unfortunately, their favorite windows look onto the deck…
These two images make up the entirety of my mockingbird archive. Mockingbirds are not scarce, nor are they particularly camera shy, so I don’t know why there aren’t more.
Speaking of mockingbirds, here’s a video/slideshow from my husband’s archives (with a poem I wrote after seeing the photos).
A photo from August 2010. I believe this is a blue-gray gnatcatcher, but I’m not convinced enough to move the photo out of my “Unknown Bird” archive. Any ideas?
Rae Spencer 