Yesterday's owl was easy to pick out, but today on the same bike route south of Lake Monona I spotted a less noticeable bird, this time in a pitch pine tree. Now, I know that this is a mourning dove (
Zenaida marcoura) because there was another one tucked in near the trunk of the tree that I could see a bit better. Plus the blue eye-ring is a giveaway. But I stood still for a few minutes looking at this one from about ten feet away and it was content to watch me watch it. Some birds feel comfortable if there is a branch and a few needles between them and a ground predator. Others, like cardinals, like several tree's worth of space for safety. You can see mourning doves on power lines any day, and know them by their long tails, tan bodies, and pigeon size.
No comments:
Post a Comment