Lovey Dovey

This winter, we have been blessed with several doves visiting our yard and feeders.

I didn't realize until recently that doves live a long life.

One article said the longest living dove recorded lived 31 years!

We have lived in our "new" house for 5 years this March.

We got three doves visiting us the first year.

We have had about nine doves the past few years.

This year?

We have FOURTEEN doves that have stayed here all winter.

They fly in once or twice a day and roost on our apple tree and take turns flying down and eating at our feeders.

Here are some shots of some of them, I couldn't fit all of them into one frame when all fourteen come to the apple tree!

Here are half of them:

I love how they fluff themselves up and are constantly preening themselves:

Some doze off, some are the "watchmen"...some just look around:

A pair of pretties:

Bracing against the wind and snow:






Taking an afternoon nap:





Such a lovely family:

I love the subtleties of their coloring:

Another one dozing:








All three of these beauties are doing something different:

A pair of twins?:

I think their faces are so peaceful.

I love it when they "coo".....

Sometimes we wake up to their soft cooing outside at daybreak....

I can't think of a better alarm clock. Can you?????