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President’s Day: Hoover himself shows up

“Hoover” the semi-tame  African Collared Dove who inhabits our neighborhood came around for a handout of sunflower hearts and peanuts on Valentine’s Day.  It’s a bit of a sad story, in that he used to have a female companion, but no longer.  So far this spring he’s spent much of the day in plaintive calling — woooHOOOooo — over and over, as of yet to no avail.  There are others of his species living ferally in the area, but their numbers seem to be down from a few years ago.

So it seems appropriate to combine President’s Day with Valentine’s Day in wishing Hoover the best of luck this season of love and the executive branch in finding a feral girl-of-the-feather to hang with.

Posted by Allison on Feb 15th 2010 10:09 am | 6 Comments
| View birds,close in,Hoover the Dove,natural history,yard list category

6 Responses to “President’s Day: Hoover himself shows up”

  1. kate mckinnonon 15 Feb 2010 at 11:40 am link comment

    Poor lonely Hoover!

  2. sueon 16 Feb 2010 at 11:00 am link comment

    I’ll have to get a better look at our feral dove to see which species it is. Those Very Pink feet should make it easier. Thanks for the lesson of last June.

  3. Allisonon 16 Feb 2010 at 4:05 pm link comment

    Sue –If you’ve got exotic doves, large, pale and with a neck ring, they’re probably the Eurasian Collared Dove, see this post:
    http://threestarowl.com/art/festival-of-desert-doves-the-other-collared-dove
    They’re much more widespread than its smaller African cousin, and I’ve seen many in coastal California — they’ve gotten around all on their own…

  4. sueon 18 Feb 2010 at 8:49 am link comment

    we may have both, but yesterday I heard the distinctive triple-hoo so at least some are the Eurasian. I’ll keep looking for those Pink Feet.

    Yet another night of noisy barn owl calls. I hope the nest “takes”. I’ve got to get the box cleaned out it’s been several years since my husband last did it. No mean feat: it’s 16 feet up. Gotta find a willing handyman .

  5. sueon 11 Mar 2010 at 8:48 am link comment

    two owls in the box at twilight last night. No baby sounds yet.

  6. […] the semi-tame African Collared Dove who hangs out in our neighborhood, has been a bachelor for a while. But earlier this summer, we observed him in the company of a female dove who appeared […]