I noticed that today marks the seventh month since the date wild doves first ate from my hand. It was on the 9th of May this year that two on the ground ate cheese from an outstretched hand for the first time. And it was nine days later, on the 18th, that for the first time one flew to my hand to eat.
We have come a long way. Now fourteen wild doves eat from my hand, and most will fly up to it from the ground or some other place and stay there till they have eaten all the food they find, or are shunted off by another bird. Some will fly directly to my hand from high in the beautiful trees of this forest. Doves fly to my shoulder, my head, my back, my arms, my hands.
So now my work is now interspersed with delightful dove-breaks. I usually need only to open the outer door of my office to find one or more doves flying at me, seeking an outstretched hand--preferably one with food in it. Or trying to rush in the door.
The male blackbird also became a little tamer today. For the first time he joined doves on my porch to peck up the ground grain that was falling from my hands as two doves ate from them. And his chick is obviously fairly comfortable pecking up ground grain in company with doves.
We have come a long way. Now fourteen wild doves eat from my hand, and most will fly up to it from the ground or some other place and stay there till they have eaten all the food they find, or are shunted off by another bird. Some will fly directly to my hand from high in the beautiful trees of this forest. Doves fly to my shoulder, my head, my back, my arms, my hands.
So now my work is now interspersed with delightful dove-breaks. I usually need only to open the outer door of my office to find one or more doves flying at me, seeking an outstretched hand--preferably one with food in it. Or trying to rush in the door.
The male blackbird also became a little tamer today. For the first time he joined doves on my porch to peck up the ground grain that was falling from my hands as two doves ate from them. And his chick is obviously fairly comfortable pecking up ground grain in company with doves.