Our Ringed Neck Dove

I've been trying for weeks to get good photos of the lone ringed neck dove that has been coming to our bird feeder on the deck.  This is the first year we've had a ringed neck dove at our house.  And we only have one (so it seems... they kind of all look alike to me right now).

It is very skittish.  I have to sneak around in the house, hide behind the plants and try to get photos through the door window at all kinds of crazy angles so it won't see me.  

Actually, the dove doesn't seem to be comfortable at the bird feeder.  Typically, it sits on the deck rail and watches the other birds eat out of the feeder.

The dove is on the far right in the photo.  It walks back and forth.  Stops.  Looks at the birds eating at the feeder.  Like it wants to eat out of the feeder.  It seems to know there are seeds in there.  


You can see there is some kind of "pecking order" going on here.  Those stupid pidgeons are hogs.  They are messy and selfish.  We don't like them much.  They are actually a problem in Laramie.  Cuz people like us feed them, no doubt.  But we like watching the birds - and some of them fly so far to get here this time of year.  They're really hungry when they get here.


But, our little dove watches the other birds eat from the feeder, then hops down onto the deck and eats the seeds that have fallen down there.

It was really weird today.  By the end of the day, the feeder was nearly empty - and there was a pile of sort of a reddish color seed all spread out on the deck.  Like the birds "sorted" out what they didn't want to eat and let it all fall to the deck.  I should have thought to get a photo of it.  It was interesting.  It's gone now, though.  Either some bird came and ate it all, or the wind blew it all away.

If that happens again, I'll show you.  :-)

c@