Doves are such loves!

All my garden birds are favorites, but these Mourning doves are extra special.

Quiet, refined, gentle, mate for life, roughly 7-10 years. 

They share two weeks of incubation duties (usually two eggs) - female at night, 

male during the day, then for two more weeks they both feed the fledglings.

Mourning dove : Zenaida macroura

Yesterday -

I have four bird baths - this pair of doves often sit on this particular one

 for long periods - perhaps they like sharing with the little statue, or

the camellia bush for privacy.

This past week I sent Bob to Home Depot to purchase 'mosquito dunks' for my birth baths.  

First time I've used them but as they are apparently harmless to birds and wildlife, 

other than killing mosquito larvae, I'm going to try them in hopes of keeping the

 mosquito numbers down in the garden.

After that one season (2018) of the garden being sprayed by

 professionals every 3 weeks, and noticing a huge decline in 

mosquitoes. . . . . . . .but no bees or butterflies, I cannot do that again. 

It's a really tough time dealing with the flying biters who enjoy feeding on me, 

and making summertime really miserable when I'm outdoors, but we so need

 to protect our bees and butterflies.

To think I spent so much time in African countries and was never bitten by

 a mosquito. . . . . .but am bitten as soon as I walk out my door here!

Anyone used the dunks?

Please let me know if they helped and lowered your mosquito population.

. . . . . . . and now there's the new flying insect to arrive - so far just in the Northwest 

of the US - the deadly, huge, horrible Asian Murder Hornet. 

As much as I love Washington State, and have often thought of relocating there, 

I'm going to stay put and take my chances with the mosquitoes.

Enough said!!!!!!

Bird notes - the Mourning dove.

 I shared this lone dove on the birdbath HERE last week.

I believe this is a male as it lacks the pinkish neck feathers of the female.

 Hopefully it will have a mate soon. We usually have several pairs in the garden.

 These lovely birds mate for life, an awesome seven to ten years.

This handsome boy, perhaps a juvenile, spent quite a long time in the fig tree

 yesterday busily preening between the heavy rain storms.

All photos taken through the dining room window.

Phew!  All that preening and fluffing of my beautiful feathers has just about

worn me out. . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . definitely time for a little shut-eye!

The Mourning dove gets its name from its gentle, mournful cooing.
The wind rushing through its wing feathers in flight creates a characteristic 
whistling sound. Other than that the dove is a quiet and very welcome bird 
in the garden, and one of my favorites.

How can you not care?

When an entire family of Mourning doves sits patiently on such a cold, frozen place, 

waiting in hopes of a meltdown and a drink soon, how can we not head into the garden

to give them some attention.

"How do you do, I'm a White-throated sparrow and I love to drink - can I wait with you please?"

These lovely gentle birds perked up when I opened the door ready with the

 tea kettle and warm water. They flew off but returned later to drink - unfortunately

 with these low temperatures the water re-freezes very fast.

Bob was up before me today and said the barometer was at 8F, our coldest

 morning yet. The record was broken at Raleigh-Durham International Airport where it

reported 4F! In this photo the temperature was already climbing. By the end of the

 coming week we will return to the 60's which will feel like a heatwave. . . . . much

more normal here in the south!

This Sunday you will find me close to home - this is just too cold to be outside for long.

I'm afraid my planned walking weather has been put on hold for now!

The iceman cometh. . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . and the Mourning doves too.

Opening the blinds on this the coldest morning of December yet, a solitary

 dove was poised on the edge of the birdbath, all puffed and fluffy-looking.

"Will they come with warm water and melt the ice" may have been 

its thoughts. Of course we will. 

Don't forget, birds require water as well as food to survive, and 

during these cold spells its often hard for them to find any.

We are seeing a lot of birds in the garden on these cold days - I'll be sharing more later.

Within the hour, once the sun appeared, an entire family of doves had arrived. 

These quiet and gentle birds are definitely one of my favorites.

Off now with the tea kettle to melt the ice. . . . . . we have four birdbaths so it

will take a while. These photos were all taken from my windows - too cold to be

outside yet! 

Our neighbor just informed us the local family of four deer were

traversing our front lawn last night - oh how I wish I'd seen them!

Sometimes I feel I really do live in the country.

Fly away fast. . . . . . . . . .

The Sharp-Shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus

Size 10-14" (25-36 cm)

Small woodland hawk with gray back and head, rusty red breast. Long tail with
several dark tail bands, widest band at end of squared-off tail. Red eyes.

Female: same as male, but larger.
She builds a platform nest: 1 brood per year; 4-5 eggs, white with brown markings.
Female and male feed young.

A common hawk of backyards and woodland, often seen

 swooping in on birds visiting feeders. . . . . . . . . . . . . 

. . . . . . . . .who also enjoy a dip and a drink - which is why these darlings,

 the quiet and gentle mourning doves, took off in a hurry!  

I was watching them from the window when I saw the hawk 

land above them on the tree branch - fluttering wings their only sound,

 and then they were gone. Safe thankfully.

Chilly March afternoon - just another day in the garden.

Misty Morning. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . and I took a quick look around the garden early today. 

Thankfully the ice is melting now and today will be a time to catch up on

 outdoor errands. Perhaps I'll stop for a coffee out rather than here in the

 same old place looking at the same birds - whom I love but need a break from - 

how many bird photos do you really want to see!!!!!!!

Speaking of which (sorry!) I must just share these as many of you admit to loving

 the gentle Mourning Dove, as do I. Yesterday this pair spent a lot of time on the 

front porch once the sun came out. Standing in the frozen fountain didn't 

seem a problem, he was there for a long time definitely keeping an eye

on me at the window. We melted the ice with hot water several times early

 morning, then left the sun to work its magic.

 Those beautiful feathers always deserve a close-up, I think the pattern is amazing.

Bricks and mortar visible again - hopefully the icy streets are clear and driving 

less hazardous today. Anyway, I'm pulling my boots on, grabbing a coat and will be 

on my way out this morning. . . . . . cabin fever is ending today.

Cottage Life - and the garden. . . . . . . . .

Life continues to remain hectic around the cottage. 
Daily dramas seem omnipresent.
Worrisome news of health problems from across the pond, and me so far away.
Local news revolves around loved ones, family and friends,
also with health issues, and Monday a serious accident where my
 neighbor's son fell 30' from a ladder whilst working. He's already had
three surgeries, and will require more, to repair his shattered leg and ankle.
 We were all sharing Birthday cake and laughter the previous afternoon,
 even warned him to be careful on his ladders in the windy conditions.
Please send good thoughts to Nelson and his family, all of whom
are very kind to us, their elderly neighbors.

Ladders can be monsters!  I never allow Bob on a ladder now unless I am right 
there to steady it and watch where he steps. I don't know if I would ever be able to
 save him in a fall but at least I'd try - and I don't let him climb very high! 

After the rains of Tuesday, the azalea blooms have seen the last of their

 best days - they were really lovely this year. This weekend I will start pruning

them back and fertilizing - this should always be done shortly after blooming

is over as the plant sets buds for next Spring during the Summer.

I do not prune hard or into shaped balls as some people do, and I never

  give the shrub a 'crewcut' with electric clippers. I like my azaleas loose and

natural looking, just keeping the really long branches clipped and tidy.

Daffodils and tulips are finished - bluebells almost over.

I loved all my Spring flowering bulbs.

Sad news - we lost a sweet Mourning dove this week - this one might just be

 its mate as it shows up alone now, whereas our doves are always in pairs as

 they mate for life, usually seven to ten years.

We saw a large hawk zoom downward past the living room window early

 one evening. Rushing to the back door I then saw it fly off with something

 in its talons. Outside on the ground and deck there were a lot of feathers

 which were definitely from a dove.

Another normal occurrence in nature of course, but always so upsetting 

as we really love our garden birds.

Note my fiery red maple tree!  

This remains colorful for a couple of weeks when it first leafs out, as it

is doing now, then it changes, and all Summer it will remain green.

  Come Autumn it will change again, gradually back to a rusty red before the leaves fall.  

I planted this maple several years ago when it just a tiny, very inexpensive,

sapling, never expecting it to grow so tall and full, becoming a lovely 
addition to the front garden.

We're off to the garden center this morning - long list in hand.
Pine straw mulch, fertilzer, seeds for colorful annuals including morning glories
and moon flowers, and herbs such as basil, parsley and chives. . . . . . 
and several other must haves to keep the garden growing.
Weather is perfect for outside work - dry, sunny and still a lovely 
coolness in the air, and for me the most important thing. . . . . . no darned
 biting mosquitoes YET!
See you later, and you know I'll have more to share from the garden.

What's happening in your April garden?

Writing memories. . . . . . . .

Do you send Christmas cards?

I still love doing this each year but admit it gets harder for me to actually write. 

Just finding a comfortable position for bending my back, and holding my neck

at an angle for a long period while sitting at a table is difficult, so I usually stand

 at the kitchen island and write for a while then take a break. 

My once prize-winning handwriting of school years, waaaaaay back, 

is no longer my pride and joy. . . . . . my hand just does not run smoothly

 across a page and reminds me of when my mother, who had a lovely

 hand writing, bold and even, complained about the difficulty of writing in

 her later years.

Today was my dear mother's birthday, born in 1911, 104 years ago! 

She has been gone many years now but I still miss her, think about her 

so often, and last evening looked at photos of her and told her so. 

I recalled the many wonderful things we shared, including writing cards,

 and long weekly letters to one another after I came to live in the USA in 1962.

I still have boxes of her letters to me.

Anyway, my Christmas card writing is almost completed and many of my cards

 this year are bird-themed as I thought them lovely - some traditional and another

 box more contemporary and a bit quirky - an unusual choice for me but I do love

 the North Carolina state bird, the Cardinal.

Yesterday I also managed to catch the gentle Mourning dove sitting in my now

 bare fig tree with the fiery maple tree in the background. 

I'm thinking perhaps this photo would make a pretty card for next year!

Elsewhere. . . . . . . .

By all rights I should be in Kenya now. 

I'm sad I've missed this trip due to health problems, it was a country I really

wanted to see. I had hoped to view landscapes I've read about in books such as 

Out Of Africa. I wanted to view the rolling green hills where the coffee plantations 

thrive, watch the animals wandering, running, across the vast Mara Plains where 

we'd be staying in a safari camp in the Masai Mara Game Reserve.

However, with two visits to the African continent already under my belt I know

I'm very fortunate. I have seen and experienced the wonders of amazing wildlife 

in their natural habitat, enjoyed the luxuries of the best camps, and the 

excitement of the safari. 

Meanwhile, my heart beats strongly according to yesterday's EKG, but my pain 

problems continue. I'm still on the fence regarding surgery tentatively scheduled 

for next week, so I'm going for a second opinion.

This morning is freezing but the sun is bright and beckons to one, saying, 

"come outside and feel my warming rays". 

I threw down crumbs under the bird feeder, poured hot water on the birdbath 

and fountain to melt the ice. A pair of Mourning doves came first at 7:30 AM, 

toddling about, nibbling, then resting for a while in the beautiful early 

morning sunshine - a good day to be alive no matter where.