II have photos from recent patio birds that visited me at my home. There was a visit from two mourning doves yesterday.
I grabbed my camera and took photos of them through the glass panes of the French door.
I think of them as elegant and regal birds, in spite of the fact that they walk along like their neck isn’t hinged well to the rest of their body.
They’re actually one of my favorite birds.
“I say love, and the world populates itself with doves.” – Pablo Neruda
They are stately and not hurried. Their presence is calming.
Their cooing sounds are comforting as well.
The male often “coos” to attract a female. In other words, the male (and sometimes the female) coos to woo their potential mate.
How Mourning Doves Got Their Name:
Mourning doves got their name because these birds vocalize a lot. They got their name because of their “mournful call.”
The mourning dove is a symbol of sorrow and mourning. It symbolizes the same things as its white dove cousin.
“When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts.” – Mary Baker Eddy
Cardinals:
Then there are the cardinals, the male resplendent in its bright red coat of feathers.
The females have more camouflaged coloring. Still, she is a beauty with her bright orange beak.
Cardinals are active songbirds and sing a variety of different melodies.
Recent Patio Birds That Visited Me:
Males can be aggressive when defending their territory, and they frequently attack other males who intrude.
“Cardinals appear when angels are near”
A Dark Rainy Morning:
This morning it was quite dark when I woke up. It had rained all night I think. From what I see from here in my chair it looks more like dusk outside.
It’s supposed to be cooling down to the sixties and seventies here. I’ll be wearing my fall clothing soon and turning on the portable fireplace.
I love those days when the sky is overcast and the fireplace is on. And I stare into the faux flames and feel this calmness wash over me.
The Kitties:
And I have a few cat photos for your amusement.
Gracie had the zoomies in the bedroom just before I got up. Wow, the energy that cat has at times!
But now she must rest up a bit. The zoomies make her really tired.
I don’t recall Ivy having the zoomies, but Gracie surely does. She zigs and zags and runs and jumps till she’s worn out.
Gracie was laying on the couch yesterday and Ivy walked in front of her. When Ivy got closest to her, she turned to face Gracie. And, like the mythical dragon, Ivy breathed “fire” in her direction.
“Kah!”
Then Ivy nonchalantly walked on past.
We get a lot of doves here, too. We always had cardinals visiting, but since the awful bird disease here in the northeast, I haven’t seen them, which makes me sad. The cat pictures put a big smile on my face!
Love the photos of the birds, Brenda. I so miss being able to feed them and see them up close like I used to–before the predator cats came to stay. I would feel worse if one of them died because of me drawing them close with food though. So I restrain.
I got a kick out of your little story about Ivy nonchalantly walking by Gracie and hissing at her–as if just reminding her who is the real boss around there!
Something else I appreciate about your blog is that it isn’t about politics and politicians. I get so many emails about the insane goings-on in the country and the world, yours is a relief from all that and a nurture of the spirit for me. Thanks, Brenda.
Now that the sun is lower in the sky, I thought the shadows in your photos were very pretty.
Those cats! : )
Hi,
Hope you are well Brenda. Just wanted to let you know a while back you referred your readers to a show called Vera. I remembered that and my husband and I watched the first one. We are hooked and love it. Thank you for the referral.
Your stories of Gracie and Ivy give me chuckles. You take such lovely pictures and the ones of the birds are so touching. Thank you for brightening my day. I so look forward to what Gracie and Ivy are up to. They remind me of my two cats.
I’ll say again, I love the stories you tell us of Ivy and Gracie. I had to laugh out loud when Ivy breathed fire. Kah!!!! I can just see her doing that.
The saying “Cardinals appear when angels are near” is something a good friend of mine used to say. What brings that to mind, is a Cardinal landed on her head stone, after her funeral, while the priest was blessing the grave site. I would like to think, indeed, angels were near.
Lovely pictures of the cats, I always enjoy seeing them and hearing about their antics.
You captured the birds very well, I love hearing the cardinals sing, such a loud strong chirping from a small bird.
I love mourning doves and find their cooing soothing. My favorite bird of all time is the Cardinal for their coloring. We have a nesting pair each spring and it is fun to watch them pick the tree, build the nest and raise their young. I could watch birds all day long! Your photos are beautiful.
I am so glad you have Ivy and Gracie. They really do make your days so much brighter with their fun and curiosity. I have two mourning doves that actually hang outside my bedroom window on the third floor. They sit in the ledge of the gutters below the window and just coo and sit quietly for hours. They are soft and sweet. Have a good “hump” day.