I have been watching a pair of Dove right outside my house. Warm Spring has been gentle to them. The female had the standard two eggs clutch late last month. After two weeks they hatched and then grew at an astounding rate. Either yesterday or today they left the nest. Off to be on their own. I expect the nest to have another pair of eggs shortly. I have been told if the first clutch hatches early it too can have a single nest of their own before Summer's end. I did supplement their feeding program liberally. It is nice to see a successful first nesting and this year it was very early. Hopefully that means our local Dove population will be at high numbers this Fall.
A fine post. I keep a close watch on my nesters as well.
My Dove is on her fourth brood. 2, 2, 3, 2 so far. These will be gone in ten days it looks like. If she nest another brood it will be her fifth by opening day. She has been a active girl. Fairly certain it’s the same female but suspect a different male each time. 100% nesting success so far.
They sure raise 'em quick. It's amazing how soon the little ones leave the nest.
Glad to hear they're having success up there, Jon. I'll be seeing them about December/January.
SRH
Not the ones I see in September or early October!
Best water conditions around here since 2008. Lots of breeding ducks and we see few dead skunks and raccoons along the roads, so I expect a good hatch. Now to see if these shallow potholes can produce enough invertebrates to support the broods. The basins have had the weeds burned down with glyphosate for ten straight years.
Half, where is "around here"?
What a wonderful report. Dove and duck both having a good year. Maybe this global warming, climate change or what we use to call weather will be good for the fall hunting season. If only we could get a bit of cold weather before February to push birds down from Canada.
Has anyone heard how the pheasant nesting went in South Dakota? I'm headed out there again in late October. The population was up last year so another good year would be great.
Has anyone heard how the pheasant nesting went in South Dakota? I'm headed out there again in late October. The population was up last year so another good year would be great.
I can't tell you but it is likely to be highly location dependent. Here in Iowa, I am awaiting the August road counts with some anxiety. We had a mild winter until it was suddenly very very cold. Late cold can be deadly. After it finally warmed up, we had lots of rain here in the Central Plains during nesting, but the intensity of if was highly variable. Western Iowa and Eastern Nebraska got hammered. The Dakotas has similar variability.
Where in SD do you hunt? Further west might be much better than the East, although I'm guessing a little.
I stay in Gettysburg, which is in the center of the state, just east of the Missouri. I stay at duxdog's place. It's a very nice man cave:)
I know what you mean about a cold winter this past year. My thermometer hit -26 oF at one point.
Tom, with a little luck you will be okay I think. But again, I'm guessing. I was worrying more about my region than way out there.
-26 ain't too bad. But that it came so late. Frost didn't get real deep here (only about 1.5 ft). That has helped with having more bugs this year I think. Maybe. Until we get some data though, we are just pinning hope on the wind.
SE ND Doug. Even with my failing eyesight I am seeing quite a few broods of half-grown pheasants along the roads and have a brood of sharptails on one of my burned pastures. Reports show good water conditions in the whole southern half of that part of the state included in the pothole region.
Not doves but lots of June and July rain coupled with hot weather has produced many second duck hatches in the prairie potholes
Tamid, that is good news for us duck hunters. Jim
Jim,
Come to Alberta and have a waterfowl experience you couldn't dream of in CA. Assuming CA is California not Canada.
Jon, I would be very interested to hear if the dove you've been watching has a fifth nesting this summer.
SRH
I’ll know in about 7-10 days. She has been around me so much I can walk up to just a foot away before she starts to get nervous. She still stays on the nest. I was surprised when she had three eggs in one nesting. All three made it. But who knows after that.
I had a pair of nesting hawks in my back yard a few years ago. They depleted the rabbit, squirrel, chipmunk and dove population feeding their young. Feathers and hair was seen alike every day in the yard. They nested behind me for a couple years then moved back on, or something happened to them. Now they are gon and all the food types are back in plenty.
Tamid I think you mean successful renesting attempts. Ducks do not raise two broods, but regularly renest if early nests are destroyed.
Hal, it is not the drakes fault that they don't nest two or more times a year. They seem more than willing to mate and do their part. Sad to think that the hens miss such a great chance to improve their kinds population.
On the farm we had a lot of quail which would nest twice in a good year. Often the second nest was near or in one of our tomato field because I suspect the combination of cover and bugs was prime for them. We had standing orders that if a picker found a nest it was to be left alone. My father would rather lose a few tomatoes than a nest of bob whites.
KY I have never heard of hen dabbling ducks lacking drakes to copulate with after losing their earlier nests. In fact, rape flights are a good indicator of hens still incubating. Flightless young are sometimes seen at the season opener.