MORE BIRDS - AND OTHER TALES OF COUNTRY LIFE

Mama (and her babies) checking me out while I check her out!

We had a mourning dove family set up housekeeping on the deck rafter behind the thermometer!

At night when I turned on the deck lights to let the dog out, she would eyeball me, but never move.

As the babies grew they would sit outside the nest.  I was amazed by two things:
first, the babies never made a peep!  They seemed like polite little children!
second, Mama Dove would sit on top of the grill and NOT MOVE until you were within a foot of her and reached out - then she fluttered off, but not too far.  Even if the dog came out, she stood her ground.

Baby mourning doves ready to fly the coop!

Either mourning doves are dumber than geese (!) or are extremely courageous in protecting their young!

Any birders out there - please fill me in if this is normal mourning dove behavior - or did they get so used to seeing us come and go all the time they became tame?

THE DUCK SAGA
As an aside to the doves and geese - my husband ordered 21 ducks earlier in the spring.  He even built a floating Duck Palace for them!  Unlike baby chicks, all of these survived and in about 4 weeks were ready to hit the water.

Next day - 12 ducks.

Next day - 8 ducks; then 5; then 2; now . . . . .

My son renamed the Duck Palace the "Turtle Feeding Station".

Someone came in and trapped several snapping turtles.

So my husband order 22 ducks last week.

He may have parboiled them, as we had hot weather and they had a heat lamp . . . a couple didn't make it through the first day.

He turned off the lamp and put on a screen door.  They peeped their satisfaction.  Until . . .

Next day - 6 down . . . and so it goes.  He said we have 6 currently alive.  I don't hold out much hope for them.

We are also losing our chickens, which makes me sad.  We started with 14, 2 disappeared and we had 12 for quite some time.  Then dogs got a couple and we ended up with a steady flock of 8 for quite some time.  Then he moved the chicken coop to follow the cattle again and now were are losing them at an alarming rate - down to 5.  And we really like our eggs!  We will be getting replacements soon from the farmer up the road.  But, I fear, we just don't do well with feathered objects.

AND OTHER FARM ANIMALS
On a happier note - 5 calves this year!  and 5 little piggies (all survive!)

The piggies are darn cute, what a shame they will grow to be as U G L Y as their mama and papa!  As with the cattle, I do not interact with the pigs.  Mama got out and took a little jaunt with her younguns and my husband walked them home - it was cute!  Daddy got out just today and he also was escorted home.  Jeepers, we don't want them getting out and running all over the place!

Now that I think of it, I will have some interaction with those pigs - BACON!!