After a hard day sitting on the ground eating seeds that fell from the bird feeder, our Mourning Dove is finally taking a break. That quick flight to the top of the tree was tiring, too. Despite all it exertions, our dove graciously agreed to have its picture taken.
Doves are disrespected as nuisance birds. In reality, they have a delicately ornamented plumage that is quite beautiful, especially in flight. Our dove’s feathers are a bit worn in places, but they will be replaced in the next moult.
Glancing out the window, I saw this dove bathed in a soft and luminous light. It was hardly the perfect example of its kind, but the light drew me to it. I had to shoot through a double-paned window. The resulting slight haze on the image was removed, luckily, by the photo editor. It was either that or no photo. If I had opened the window to shoot, the subject would have flown off.
Incidentally, the dove is not just loafing. It had earlier filled its crop with seeds dropped by other birds at our feeder, and was now taking time to digest them. Seeds make up almost all of its diet.