Tags: Rock Dove wildlife bird pigeon urban city Esquimalt lagoon Victoria Vancouver Island BC British Columbia Canada
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The common city pigeon is actually a pretty bird when we are able to see it objectively...
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Tags: Rock Dove Columba livia wildlife bird wetland wild nature coast Esquimalt Lagoon Victoria Vancouver Island BC British Columbia Canada
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Continuing to look through ten year old files, for some reason...
Here, a male Mourning Dove sits on his nest. I remember the moment well. I'd been photographing the interior of an old country church that a friend had bought (along with a house and some land) in rural Saskatchewan. Walking around outside for some exterior shots, I glanced to my left and there he was. At eye level. Close. I planted the tripod, switched lenses, made a few shots. I took a few steps closer; he didn't flinch. A few more shots and then I left him in peace. This was the final frame.
Male Mourning Doves are differentiated from females by the blue wash on their nape and crown. According to a reliable online source, the male usually incubates the eggs during the day, and the female at night. I wonder what advantage this behaviour gives the species...
Photographed at Orkney, Saskatchewan. Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2007 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura wildlife bird dove vertical nest sitting incubating tree wild prairie Orkney Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page
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As we segue into our first hot weather of the year - temperatures are expected to hit 34C (93F) by mid-week - I will continue my "birds in snow" series. It's hard to believe that I shot these photos less than two weeks ago.
The Eurasian Collared-Dove is an invasive species that arrived in North America circa 1974 after some captive doves escaped from Nassau, Bahamas, and made it to Florida. Now they share space with Mourning Doves in tiny Val Marie, Saskatchewan. But there's a catch. The Mourning Doves migrate; Collared-Doves do not. I assume they are not genetically hard-wired to do so. And our winters get very, very cold. After especially severe winters, it is not uncommon to see Collared-Doves missing a few toes.
Known to be easily tamed elsewhere, these doves are as wild as wild can be in our village. After living here for ten years, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a Eurasian Collared-Dove that didn't fly away to safety. The reason? Food. I made this shot in my artist friend Laureen Marchand's backyard, near her feeders, where hundreds of birds gathered in the aftermath of the freak May snowstorm. She is @laureenartist on Instagram, and her site is well worth visiting.
Photographed in Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2021 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto wildlife bird dove invasive spring snow trees weather wild prairie village Val Marie Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page
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Such pretty birds! They are returning in numbers, starting to occupy the big cottonwood trees in our village, foraging for seeds along the roadside in Grasslands Park, which is where I found this one and its mate last week.
Photographed from the rolling red Toyota blind in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura wildlife bird dove vertical wild prairie Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024
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