Nice to see old friends

I am always pleasantly surprised by visits to the Bayou by old friends.  More oft than not, these old friends are some critters rather than humans.  When one of these old pals drops in to visit, I try my best to set a lovely buffet for them.  A few hand tossed scraps, filled bird feeders and lots of fresh water lures them every time!  During the heat of the day, I have a tendency to find my chair beneath the shade trees.  It is from this cool retreat that I can watch who comes to dine at the feeders.  Occasionally, an old friend, who has been absent for a while, will drop by to grab a bite.

Today, I heard a familiar call from a White-winged Dove.  It was high in a pine tree near the birdbath.  I have not seen the bird for quite some time now and was excited that it had returned to the Bayou.  Then..I heard another.  This one was behind me on the Rose Arbor.  Two White-winged Doves on the hill was something to stir the blood!  Perhaps, these two would find the area to their liking and decide to nest here.  Then..another!  Far in the distance, I could hear a third bird with the same call.  I was excited to say the least!

It is easy to see the difference between the White-winged Dove (foreground) and the Mourning Dove (background).

After I watched for some time, one White-winged Dove flew to the ground beneath the sunflower seed feeders.  The bird mingled with a few Mourning Doves.  This was great as it gave me the opportunity to compare the two types of birds.  Although similar, they are vastly different.  Both do have similar coloring but whereas the Mourning Dove has black spots on its back, the White-winged has only a few black stripes on its tail.  It does have a broad, white stripe down its wing something that the Mourning Dove does not.  Still the most striking feature of the White-winged Dove is the blue eye patch surrounding its bright orange eye!

I whiled away the afternoon watching for the White-winged Dove.  After returning to the Little Bayou House, I pondered about a previous post I did on this bird.  Looking back, I was surprised to see that the dove's last appearance was nearly two years ago to the date!  My post was on June 17, 2011!  Had I just missed the visit last summer?  Or, had these birds not come.  I realize that this is most likely not the same bird from several years ago but still, the visit made me smile.  Welcome..Sweet Birds..welcome.