Monday, July 1, 2024

The 366 Project: June

 

Already July - I almost can't believe it. Somehow I had the illusion that with retirement things would slow down a bit, but so far that hasn't happened.

So here's June:


Beside all the bigger and smaller events to celebrate Pride, we had one wonderful event happening in our garden - to be precise, on top of our solar system box. A couple of Mourning Doves had decided to build their (rather flimsy) nest there and raise their little family, all within three weeks or so. One evening while we had dinner outside the Geek discovered the nest. From that moment on, we observed the doves and learned a lot about them.

This is how it started out:

The parents took turns in sitting on the eggs, and very soon the chicks - called squabs as far as I know - had hatched. They were tiny and very hungry.

This was the day that the Geek took out our scope and mounted his phone on it. This is the setting and all the following photos (with the exception of the last dove picture) were taken this way by the Geek.

The little guys grew quickly.


Family photo:


It was quite astonishing to see how quickly the kiddos grew.



This is the set-up as a whole where they chose their home:


Then they were gone. A couple days later, one of the parents became dinner for a hawk family - sigh. Well, this is nature.

We have the memories of these beautiful short weeks.

Yesterday we had the first day of a heat wave and what better way to end such a day and the month with a refreshing cool Bavarian beer, a Paulaner Hefeweizen. Cheers to Elizabeth and Bleubeard on T Tuesday!

A very happy Canada Day to all my friends in Canada.


18 comments:

Tom said...

...I hope that you are ready for a Jolly July!

Elephant's Child said...

What astonishing captures of the dove family. Huge thanks to you and the Geek.
Stay as cool as you can.

roentare said...

The dove has a free studio shoot from you. Clever to fit the phone video on top of the camera.

Michelle said...

I can hardly believe it is July already. You have captured some excellent images of the Dove family!!

Sharon Madson said...

Fabulous photos of the nest, thanks to your geek! :). I hope it is cooler for your4th of July block party. Hugs, Sharon

Mae Travels said...

Digiscoping is a fantastic way to get good bird photo with an iPhone, and yours are indeed wonderful! Those little doves are really cute. I don’t like to call them squabs because I associate that with food.
Have a great July.

best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Jeanie said...

I love all of these - your daily shots and more -- but the dove and her babies are an exquisite series. Bravo -- wonderful -- especially the close ups.

Iris Flavia said...

Ich dachte (denken!) ich habe alle Zeit der Welt,als ich arbeitslos war. Nö. Also ist Rente nicht anders.
Abenteuerliche Geschichte mit den Tauben...
Ach, alle haben Sommer. Ich sitze hier mit Sweatshirt - 13C draußen, Tee statt Bier...
Genießt euren Sommer!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

What amazing photos of the doves and their babies as they grew. I am totally impressed with the geek's innovative way he captured the colse ups.

I enjoyed seeing all the photos from June. When did Squiggles move to CA? Pink nose and all!

What a nice way to end the month, or at least this post: Bavarian beer. Thanks for sharing your calendar and beer with us for T this Tuesday, dear Carola.

I wished everyone I saw or talked to today a happy Canada Day. I was surprised so many people had never heard of their holiday.

My name is Erika. said...

Life seems busier once I retired. Not in a bad way though. Grin. And wow Carola, you have some fabulous photos of the nesting dove. I think that was brilliant that the geek hooked up the phone to the telescope. It gave you some fantastic results. Did all of the babies make it? I love doves. Have a great T day and week ahead. hugs-Erika

Teresa said...

Hiciste un precioso reportaje, me encantó ver a las tortolas, ellas también crían en mí jardín. Besos.

Barwitzki said...

Paulaner Hefeweize... yes. ist so gut :-))
Wir tranken gestern einen schönen trockenen Pinot Grigio - also einen Grauburgunder aus Italien - nachdem wir lange keinen Wein getrunken hatten - zu unserer Pizza aus dem Steinofen.
Es war ein Genuß... genau so wie auf deinem schönen Foto, liebe Carola :-))
Es ist wunderbar, daß du so herrliche Fotos aus eurem Taubennest zeigen kannst. Wunderschöne Aufnahmen. Freut mich sehr sie zu sehen.
Frohen 4. Juli sowie einen wunderschönen Juli insgesamt wünscht Viola.
Eine Umarmung zu dir.

Lisca said...

Those photos are really amazing! What a privilege to host that little family. When the parent was killed, did the babies die? Or did the remaining parent cope?
That German beer is making me thirsty.
Happy T-Day,
Lisca

Lisca said...

What a privilege to host that little family. When the parent got killed, did the babies die or did the remaining parent manage to continue looking after them?
That German beer is making me thirsty.
Happy T-Day,
Lisca

John's Island said...

Hello Carola, I love your 366 project. You ARE an inspiration. 😊 The Mourning Dove family story is just wonderful (except, of course, one parent's demise). Congrats on all the excellent images! As for me, I’m going very, very slow with blogging. I need time to read and relax away from the always changing World Wide Web. Hope you and the Geek have a wonderful summer! John PS The last image, the Geek, the meal, the beverage … what a perfect way to end June. 😊

CJ Kennedy said...

Thank you for sharing the mourning doves. I love them. They remind me when my Eldest was around 4. We have several pair of doves in the area. They would call and my little one would call back Yooo-hoooo! Thanks for the memory. Happy T Day

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Somehow or other, I missed this post completely. What a pleasure to have the Mourning Doves nesting with you. you have acquired a new family! They can be a little messy but it’s worth putting up with it to watch the young develop. That’s quite a substantial nest too, as Mourning Doves go. Sometimes they will have two and even three broods a year. I have seen them nesting, even here in Ontario, as early as February. They are elegant birds with a quiet dignity about them. Like you, Carola. Hugs - David

Red Rose Alley said...

Amazing photos of the mourning dove and her little ones. We get the Eurasian Collared Doves up here in the mountains, and at first I thought they were the morning doves, but they look a bit different with a ring around its neck. I believe they are from the mourning dove family. Love to hear their coooooing in the distance. They are cooooing right now. ; )

~Sheri