It's Spring for Birds

[yourlibrarian]

Last autumn I took a photo of fallen and turned leaves and when the trees all bloomed this spring, I wanted to take another counterpart to them. Also, some more trees and birds in love.





We've been observing lots of birds the past few months. Activity at the food plate started getting intense about a month ago, likely because all these birds have nests going. The cardinal couple has begun appearing regularly and apparently the male feeding seeds to the female is courting behavior.





We have a pair of mourning doves who are not only hanging out around our balcony but who have been mating regularly on it as well. It seems to follow these steps:

a) Vigorous self-grooming next to one another

b) Reaching for one another's beaks and gripping on

c) Female lowers herself and wriggles tail feathers

d) Blink and you miss it male climbs on

e) Standing around, back to grooming

We often find it funny how the female is trying to get the male interested in a second go, or in one at another occasion, and he just keeps grooming himself in a clueless manner.

I have not yet been able to catch the whole process on film but here is our exhibitionist couple.

Comments

[pauraque]

Nice pics! In the house where I grew up we had a mourning dove pair that would return year after year to nest in the shed, and the fence right outside our kitchen window was their favorite mating spot. That's one way to learn about the birds and the bees. :)

[yourlibrarian]

It is! We had some pairs that came back to nest on our balcony for several years, but our delay in putting plants out there due to the erratic temperatures means we've had no nests for some years now. It'll only take one pair to try us out again though...

[cmcmck]

Geat pics.

Our collared doves, stock doves and wood pigeons are all now playing the mating games too! :o)

[yourlibrarian]

I expect to see more of this in the coming months 🙂

[shirebound]

Oh, I love these. I notice a LOT more activity at the feeders recently. When I first moved in four years ago, I wondered if the birds would notice that I had put up feeders. Boy, did they ever.

You should have baby doves arriving soon, LOL!

[yourlibrarian]

Yes, I suspect parents are currently eating for 3 right now!

[chestnut_pod]

Yay for future baby doves :)

They're so lovely.

[yourlibrarian]

We just saw some bird babies today so I imagine their eggs have probably hatched too.