Let's Talk About American Mourning Doves

In lieu of human friends, I decided to try my hands at birds.

[kaiapanda]

A pair of mourning doves would frequent my yard too, and dig up seeds that fell from our hanging bird feeder. This week though, one of them passed away, and I buried her under her favorite maple tree. Her mate wouldn’t leave her body and even paced around that same spot for days after she was gone. Since she died, I’m trying to make sure that he is well fed and that their chicks are safe from harm. People really underestimate the emotional and intellectual capacity of these birds. I love them so much.

[ronsparks]

Just an FYI: Doves don't eat worms. They are seed eaters exclusively. You can buy dove seed if you want to feed them.

[coreyledin-bristol]

I love these chubby little birds. I love how they walk instead of hop. Their sad cooing is beautiful in the evening.

[ritathomas]

My parents had mourning doves around their home. My mom always liked that particular type of bird. The morning after my father died, I was over at their home, making breakfast for my Mom. As we sat at the kitchen table, a mourning dove suddenly flew and perched on the outside windowsill, right next to my Mom's chair. He sang his song for awhile, then flew off. This continued every morning for about a week. My Mom and Dad always used to have breakfast together every morning. It was their quiet time together. Up until the day my Mom passed away she felt as if that mourning dove was my Dad - spending just as few last mornings together.

[friedtomatoes]

I used to use my hands to mimic mourning doves on my walk home. They used to come in drove to listen to the human that could do their call. It started out with like three watching me and ended up with the entire power line flooded every time I came off the bus. I was like a Disney princess lol

[kathrynterlikowski]

I’ve experienced this many years ago and each year a pair of birds would return to my window ledge. I would speak to them in hopes of not scaring them. No idea if they got used to me talking to them but they and their babies would look at me. It was pure joy to see them every year.

[donaldvincent]

Years ago I was given one with a broken wing by friends at work. Because I had a few birds they felt I would be best able to help this bird. Well a trip to the vet got her on the road to recovery but she would never fly again. So I set her up in a quiet part of the house and the wife & I sang with her daily for the next eight years. I had no idea they could live so long. She was a wonderful bird to have around. Years later we still miss her answering back everytime someone called "Whoo Whoo"...

[paulatreat]

When I was young, we had a spruce tree in the yard. A pair of mourning doves built a nest on a branch just eye level with me. We watched several broods of dove fledglings grow up.
Those birds were very tolerant of me poking my little head into the tree to watch them. One time, one of the parents actually stood up and let me see their eggs.
It was a huge thing to me, and I am grateful to those friendly little birds

[manxkin]

I love Mourning Doves. Their coo and the whistling sound their wings make when they take to flight from the ground. You're looking quite dapper by the way. Enjoyed your meet up with Shaun.

[novaconetta]

Beautiful! The parents actually push the birds out of the nest to the ground where they "fledge". The parents come back to feed the fledglings but lengthen the times between feedings while staying nearby so that the fledgling starts to learn to fly. If you know you have fledglings, try to keep cats out of your yard. At night the parents will tuck them into a safer space or a hole in the ground until they become more mobile. We watched a fledgling who was slow to learn to fly and the parent bird literally gave him lessons and wing stretches 🤣. It's really neat to watch.

[margotrosendorn]

The coo of a mourning dove is comforting and nostalgic to me. They're all over my hometown, it reminds me of childhood.

[tanya]

My little boy always does the "mourning dove call" when he goes outside he loves when they "answer" it's so cute.

[intallpines]

Doves mate for life. When there is only one, you'll know something has happened and there won't be a replacement.

[Parklarblick]

Birds can be an amazing source of entertainment and joy. I've got a family of crows that live out behind my home. They have been here for years and quite a few generations. We've even gotten friendly. Occasionally i leave them some scraps of meat or food, a can of cat food or some such when the weather is bad. And ever so often i find little shiny things wrapped in twigs or leaves on my doorstep or windshield of my car. Even see them dropping them off once or twice, always glance at my window before flying off. A really awesome feeling and a bit of extended family. :)

[heatherkalman]

I felt this exact way watching nesting mockingbirds in the garden. And then the babies would use the patio furniture to practice flying. So freaking cute! 😍

[IDreamOfCrafting]

I've had a pair of Mourning Doves nesting at my house for over a decade. I absolutely adore seeing them every year! I even saved the female once years ago when she was hurt by some kind of creature (cat, raccoon, etc). She had a broken wing and leg, but healed up beautifully and was able to reunite with her mate a few months later.

[ernestshackelton]

I’m from Canada. My childhood summer mornings are associated with cooing morning doves. I love that sound on early, dewy, cool summer mornings!

[deborahdanhauer]

I’m trying to imagine what sort of complexes those baby birds will have, when one of their daily constants while growing up, was a Brit in a weird unicorn hat with long flaps….
But they were precious and I’m happy you were a baby bird uncle for a time.🐝🤗❤️

[alexmoore]

I never knew the name of any birds so I always referred to the mourning dove as “The bird with the deep voice” but the soft coo of the mourning dove being my natural alarm on weekends and over the summer is one of the most beautiful things I can think of

[Platypi]

I've had mourning doves nest on my balcony. One year they nested in a hanging planter, had three babies hatch out! Couple of years later, that planter was empty (had a coconut husk bottom, so empty it's just a few strips of metal) and on a table... They put like ten pieces of pine straw down and laid their eggs early one spring. One egg fell off the table, the other two I think died from lack of insulation on the bottom... They truly are terrible and lazy nest builders.