• Friday-What'sUP November 9 - 02:42 pm

Whether you are one of those folks who likes the snow, or one who doesn't, either way you have to admit that the recent flurries we've had UP North here brightened things up a bit. It turned the gray of leafless trees into white (and yes, white IS a color!). Ken Scheibach has a good example of what I'm talking about with this photo of a cold morning Mourning Dove. If it weren't for the snowfall covering the branches, Ken might not have even noticed this quiet bird sitting there looking at him. That is unless he heard the plaintive oo-wah-hooo, hoo hoo sound they make.

Mary--I love the picture and the snow too. Really enjoyed the bird
song. Will have to return to this site after work today.

Hi
Bright sunshine, blue sky and a dusting of snow look better to me than gray skies, dead grass & mud...which is what we trolls in Southeast Michigan are looking at (Ok concrete rather than mud in some places).

The picture is beautiful. I've always loved morning doves.

Havent seen as many doves this fall as last year, my son loves them they would sit on the deck railing at our old place.

Beautiful picture!

Could be the open season on Doves???

Happy Friday All! If the U.P. recieves too much snow, please send some to Iowa, you just don't know how much you miss something, til you don't see much of it anymore.

Mourning doves can be pests in the tri-state area of Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky but they are peaceful, pleasant birds. I wonder why game hunters seem to enjoy shooting them and eating them. It takes quite a few to make a meal.

Matt: why are they pests?

Well, it's Dove season down here and the guys are out all weekend looking for them.

beautiful, beautiful picture. How ever will pics be chosen for next year's calendar?

Good morning. I've never heard that Mourning Doves could be pests. Pigeons, yes. There are only 3 birds it's ok to kill at any time. House Sparrows, Starlings and Pigeons. A few others do have seasons on them but most are protected by the Migratory bird act.

I love the snow on the tree branches. Mourning doves are great, as long as they don't live near you and wake you up at 5:30 or so in the morning with their very loud songs under your spruce trees, during the summer. Then, not so much. :-)

I agree with you Mary, that the freshly fallen snow on the trees sure beats the grey all over, now that the beautifully colored leaves have fallen off! Thank you, Ken S & Mary!

First of all,I am not a mourning dove hunter. My wife wouldn't let me. The dove season is geared toward the birds in Southern Michigan where they gather in huge flocks. You see them around the plowed farm fields through Mi,Oh,and In. Thats where they hope to use hunters as part of a means of controling them. I don't know the specific problems except eating planted seeds out of fields. Maybe messy? The challenge to the shooter is they are hard to hit as they fly fast and are very manuverable.I don't know of any dove hunters in the U.P.

I have a pair of doves that spend every summer on my back deck. I love their song and hate their mess. Does anyone know of a way to control them a bit. I would be happy getting them off my deck and into the trees!

I enjoyed the "sounds they make" link. Went to that site and played around a bit with other "sounds they make". It's driving my dog a little bonkers, though. He's not understanding the odd sounds coming from the computer!

I hate to disagree on such a wonderful web site but white is an absence of any color. Black contains all colors. That is what we were taught in art class. I love mourning doves. Great picture.

Unfortunately Mourning Doves have become pests in my yard. While their sound is peaceful, their mess is a pain. They've also figured out how to get into the feeders. The adults are too large, but the babies aren't. They sit on the feeder and drop the seeds/thistle for the adults. Pretty soon there's pigeons and squirrels in the mix.

Great picture by the way!

Very nice picture today. We have Mourning Doves here and I like to watch them drinking at our pool.If the water is high they drink right from the edge of the pool but, if the water is low, they step on the first rung of the pool ladder and drink from there.

Sarah -

You're right when it comes to pigments and painting. However, when it comes to light and reflectance, the exact opposite is the case. Black will reflect no light, while white reflects all the colors of the spectrum. This is why a prism will split light into a rainbow, and why it hurts our eyes to look at snow on a bright sunny day!

:)

Mel is correct from what I always was taught!

I believe that Sarah and Mel are both correct. Color pigments mixed together will create black however black does not reflect light and therefore is not considered a color. Ask that dove and it will probably say "Who gives a flying oh-wah-hoooo, hoo, hoo".

The reasons why mourning doves can be pests has been well done, I thank you all. I am waiting for the starlings to show up, I hope they by-pass this area on their way to wherever they go.

Hi
I know black & white are both considered colors by my Ford dealer ;>)

(Kathyl)

You're correct. Many years ago Henry Ford used to say "You can have any color you want as long as it's black!" LOL. (Must have been a joke about his Model T's or A's)

I just love the photo. Mourning doves are among my very favorite birds. I love their peaceful song and they are beautiful too!I have some regulars who frequent my bird feeder. They have a safe haven on my property- no bird hunters allowed here!