I woke up this morning to the woo hoo hoo of a Mourning Dove and sure enough when I looked out the window, there the dove was. This is a first for our yard. We used to get doves at our old house but don't normally get them here.
My son was saying -"Hey Mom, there is a gray big bird in our yard with a small head". Well that's one way to describe a Mourning Dove I guess. Then, he asked why they were called Mourning Doves. I speculated that it is because their song is kind of mournful.
Doves are ground feeders and like to forage on the ground. They like seeds including cereals like corn and millet but this mourning dove seems to be enjoying the sunflowers in our Mother Nature's Chickadee Mix.
Mourning doves are gentle birds and doves are symbols of love and peace. It makes me sad to report per the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that Mourning Doves are the most frequently hunted species in North America. My dove is safe though in our backyard - just has our noisy dog to cope with from time to time.
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