Tag Archives: Doves

Stunned Zebra Dove

A zebra dove in Hawaii
Where am I? What am I? What’s going on!
A zebra dove in Hawaii
What’s that? Why does my head hurt?
A zebra dove in Hawaii
Is he the one that hit me?

This Zebra Dove recently cannoned into a window at work. Outside, we found it lying on the ground, out cold. At first, we thought it was dead, but then detected signs of life. So, having seven cats living around the place, we took it inside in the hope that it would recover.

It did soon start to look better and the first thing it did was take wing and cannon into a window from the inside. So we took it outside again and installed it on this branch. It gripped the branch and looked fairly secure, though its blank expression suggested it didn’t have much idea of how it had come to be there.

Gradually the dove recovered, looked around a bit, and gave me a disapproving stare. After a while, it flapped over to a different branch and took on the wide-eyed look that is more typical of these doves. In these circumstances though, that look could be interpreted in a raft of different ways.

Eventually, the dove flew off and I was glad to see that it safely negotiated the branches and trees surrounding it without banging into anything else.

A zebra dove in Hawaii
Oh my god, who are these people? I’ve got to get away from here.

What’s he looking at?

A spotted dove looks intent

The clue is right there in front of him. Is that bird food? I think not, but the photos below clear things up.

I first came on this scene from the other side and saw Smudge, the cat lying down, with an intense look on her face. Another pace brought the Spotted Dove into view. I took photos, but they were into the sun and not great. So I walked around the building to get the sun behind me.

The bird was still busy pecking at the food, the cats staring intently, but doing nothing else. That inactivity wasn’t surprising. These cats are very friendly when they’re hungry and utterly indifferent once they’ve been fed. And after the cats have eaten birds move in for the leftovers. The birds remain wary, but have learned there’s not much to worry about at this time.

In the end, Smudge decided she had to do something about this brazen intrusion so she got up and wandered away to the front of the building where she plopped down in the shade, serenely out of sight of the feathered affront taking place on the lanai.

A spotted dove and cat face off
A spotted dove and cat face off

All kinds of backyard birds

  • A gray francolin contemplates a mango.
    A gray francolin contemplates a mango.
  • A male northern cardinal looking quizzical.
    A male northern cardinal looking quizzical.
  • A Japanese white-eye check calls out.
    This Japanese white-eye chick was one of two the ended up on the lawn when their nest fell out of a mango tree.
  • A rooster rests in a hedge.
    The spot in the hedge where Hoppy the rooster slept before his disappearance.
  • A pair of saffron finch juveniles forage in the grass.
    A pair of saffron finch juveniles forage in the grass.
  • A red-billed leiothrix calls out.
    Red-billed leiothrixes sweep through in flocks and are more often heard than seen.
  • A nutmeg mannikin feeds on cane grass seeds.
    A nutmeg mannikin feeds on cane grass seeds.
  • A yellow-billed cardinal keeps a wary eye out.
    A yellow-billed cardinal keeps a wary eye out.
  • Two zebra doves looking slightly affronted.
    Two zebra doves looking slightly affronted, possibly at having their picture taken.

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Backyard Birding.’ See more responses here. Also posted in response to Becky’s October Squares challenge theme of ‘Kind.’ See more responses here.

Almost all the birds I see in the backyard are fairly common, but no less interesting for that.

Favorite photos from the early days

My first decent pueo photo taken on Old Saddle Road. I noticed it on the post as I drove by, then stopped, got out, and started taking photos. The bird watched me with that intent stare that they have. (Original post here.)

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Oldie-but-Goodie or Favorite Photo.’ (See more responses here.)
This seemed like a good opportunity to run a few of my favorite photos from the first year of this blog.

Hawaiian monk seals are solitary creatures, but these two spent some weeks in each others company. On the left is the female and on the right is IO5, the male I see most often up here in Kohala. (Original post here.)
A rusty millipede casts a giant shadow.
I saw this rusty millipede crossing a dirt road in the late afternoon and liked its giant shadow. This photo ran on the BBC website here. (Original post here.)
A new born calf is cleaned by his mother.
A cow cleaning her very new calf. Another photo that ran on the BBC website here. (Original post here.)
A pair of zebra doves perch on a mock orange branch
A couple of zebra doves enjoying the late afternoon sun together. (Original post here.)
Breakfast strikes back
A personal favorite, this green anole snagged a Chinese rose beetle, but the beetle did not give up. Instead, it got itself onto the anole’s nose before escaping. The anole did not look thrilled at having this incident photographed. (Original post here.)
Finally, a photo from a hike along the coast. Colorful tide pools, blue ocean, white sand – I spent a long time traversing this stretch. (Original post here.)

Zebra doves grooming

Another post based on the theme of this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge, which is ‘Silence.’

Silence is probably the last thing anyone would associate with zebra doves. They’re seen everywhere and their continuous calls are one of the staples of the morning chorus.

Outside the house though is a mock orange, which has a branch that catches the late afternoon sun. Zebra doves like to sit on this branch and bask in the sunshine. Sometimes there’s just one, sometimes a pair, sometimes a family.

These two took the opportunity to engage in a little grooming while they were there, the one helping take care of those hard-to-reach places for the other. And the whole time, nary a peep out of either of them, which is the way all of them are, in this spot, at that time of day. It’s quite a contrast from their morning calls.