Bird of a different feather????

[Jo McDonald]

Wilma,  We have turtle doves like the one you describe in Texas.  They are so gently and much larger than those we were used to seeing in Kansas.  They do not coo like the northern doves -- they really sound like a dog barking.  Fred's brothr Russ had two of them in his yard there in Howard last spring while we were there.  We had two that were "ours"  lol   they stayed in our mesquite tree by our 5th wheel  - so we claimed them.  I have my hummingbird feeder mounted on my bay window at the back of our 5th wheel and they little darlings are coming each day to entertain us.

[Wilma]

Indygal. you're right.  I was looking at a page of blackbirds and didn't notice it said cowbird.  That's why they are so much smaller than the blackbirds I know.

Jo, my doves have disappeared.  They are probably at Russ's right now.  When you come back, you might shoo them back over here so I can enjoy them.

[Jo McDonald]

Wilma....the poor things are probably having a lot of trouble deciding whether to stay in stormy Kansas or try to return to stormy Texas....They may be hiding out - just hoping for a better weather forecast.

[Wilma]

We have had a bit of winter since they were here.  I'm not sure what the season is right now.  Radar shows some stormy weather moving this way again this morning.  I think we might be in Kansas.

[Wilma]

I have been hearing the cooing of the turtle dove and the coarse, raspy call of another bird close by.  This morning I got to see the birds.  One was our turtle dove, the other was the ring neck dove.  They were fairly close together but I could tell from which the calls were coming.  I was hoping the ring neck dove was still here.  I wonder if Teresa has driven them back into town.

[Rudy Taylor]

What a tacky thing to say about our Queen!

(True, but tacky)

[Janet Harrington]

I'm sure that she drove them back into town.  She probably opened the pickup door, said, "Hop in my little turtle doves.  I'll take you to town."  And the birds probably hopped in and she drove them to town and released them so that my momma could enjoy seeing them.

I have two of the ring necks hanging in my back yard right now, too.

[Teresa]

Could be that we drove them back to town. And Derek shot a ring neck this weekend. First time I had seen one. I don't believe that we have ever had any ring necks in our hunting before.
Doves haven't bunched together much yet.. we kind of need a slight cold front to come in, then they will, but right now they are just doing their thing in their native fields and are all spread out.
Had one good hunt and everyone limited out ( myself and Teri included) THAT was fun.

[frawin]

Teresa, Frank and I went out Saturday afternoon.  He hunts, and I go along and enjoy the outside and retrieve!  You are right, the birds haven't bunched up much yet out where we were.  Sure wish some of these in town would go to the country, though.  They love the big Live Oak trees and sure do make a terrible mess on the driveway, patio, or wherever they decide to roost.  Glad you had a good hunt.  How do you fix them?  We bone the breast out, marinate them, stuff them with a little onion, a slice of jalapeno, wrap them in bacon and cook them on the grill.  They are wonderful!!!  People who say they don't like dove eat them and rave about them!
Myrna

[Teresa]

We do ours several ways.
Sometimes we fillet the breasts out and fry them into dove nuggets.. or fry them and make gravy with them and put them over hot biscuits..
Then sometimes we just keep the breasts and I fry them like chicken.

Other times we have wrapped bacon around them ..marinated and cooked slow on the grill.

Then we also clean them and leave them  whole.. splitting up the back and I fry them and then set them back in the cast iron skillet and add water.. put the lid on and smother them until they are tender tender tender.. Yummy.
(That is mama and daddy's favorite way ) I like them all ways.