ML646418149

Observation details

There were about 4 to 5 Mourning Doves who arrived just after 7:00 a.m. (I checked at 6:42 a.m. and they weren't here yet, but I heard their wings just after 7:00 a.m.) Then a few more arrived a minute or two later, and they just kept coming by groups of 2 or 3 until there were 15 doves by 7:15 a.m. After eating for 10 minutes, some went back out to the edge of the patio and were sunbathing and preening on the patio cement floor, on the stone garden bed perimeter, on the roof angles, on the A-frame wooden beam, and up to 9 at a time on a section of the rain gutter that faces East. Some fell asleep, and you could see them startle when other doves flew up to join them, then they would settle their heads back into their fluffed out feathers to stay warm (since it is only about 33 degrees Fahrenheit this morning). There were 12 sunbathing and sleeping on the rain gutter and A-frame beam facing East for about 19 minutes until 3 European Starlings flew up to where 2 doves were sitting together, and the starlings sat 1 European Starling in front of them but 6 inches lower on the stone column support for the A-frame beam, and that one turned squawking at them, then 2 more starlings joined the first by sitting directly to the doves' left on the A-frame wooden beam, and these 2 starlings also began squawking at the doves who had enough and flew away. At this point, all 12 doves sunbathing flew away, and 30 seconds later, the 3 still eating after 35 minutes also flew away. It took about 18 minutes for 4 doves to return to eat more Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, but it's cold, so the European Starlings are not going to keep the doves away long, since there is food and fresh filtered water here from our fridge door that has a filter on it. I also have baked and used a food processor to grind egg shells and added the egg shells to the 3 flower pots with seeds in them, so that hopefully some of the doves will get "grit" for their bellies. My hope is that they all get in the flower pots on a rotating basis to get the egg shell powder, because I know it's good for them. However, it is my observation that some doves will only eat off the patio cement floor. So, I went back to putting a lot of seed on the floor, even though my husband doesn't like the mess. I told him for now it is necessary due to freezing temps and we're not using the hot tub anyway, so he won't be stepping barefoot on seeds this time of year. We instantly went from 5 doves a day to 10 doves when I put 5-10 cups of seed on the patio floor. They have more room to get more doves feeding at one time, and those doves who feel uncomfortable getting down inside a flower pot don't have to do so. Within a couple days, I started seeing 15 or more doves come in the 7 o'clock hour to feed and at least 10 sometime between 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. for their last meal of the day before roosting (probably in the forest East of here since it seems that they fly that way as they leave, but there is another forest South of here as well).