You have seen photos of the beautiful white wing dove (previous post).
The white wing can look like a bit of a clown, however, when competing with a sparrow and house finch for food from a tube feeder!
This does give you a good view of the white wing in its entirety, though.
Most of the gardeners I know in the high desert enjoy a variety of birds. Many put out food and water for the birds, and I am one who does. I think of summer as hummingbirds and roses, and winter as junkos.
But, even in the city, there are many different birds. When I first moved to this house, I had a lot of mourning doves. I had never seen a white wing dove until I moved to Albuquerque, and I lived here for several years before being aware of them. White wing doves have a more limited distribution in the United States than do mourning doves, but where the white wings occur, they are abundant. At my house, they nest in a large pine, close to a feeding station, and it is not unusual to see nine at a time on the block wall waiting to be fed. They share the feeder with finches and smaller birds, but the mourning doves are chased off until the white wings have had their fill.
In flight, you see a lot of white. But at rest, only a slim line of white is seen along the wing. The eyes are really red, as are the legs and feet. I love the blue eye patch, and the dark line underneath the eye.
Their call has been described as “who-cooks-for-you?” Personally, I think it is much lovelier than that 😉
They actually are hunted in Texas and in Arizona.
Less than 48 hours after posting “Attention, Hummingbird Lovers” and getting my hummingbird feeders up (three weeks late!), I saw my first hummingbird of the year feeding at one of the feeders. This is the earliest I have seen a hummer in my garden any year. It was a Black Chin male, and I hope he likes the looks of the place for a home for the season!
The Desert Southwest is fortunate to be home, at least part of the year, to an amazing variety of birds. The low desert, especially southeastern Arizona and around Tucson, have hummers during the winter months. Here in the high desert we have them only during the warmer part of the year.
I generally put up the hummingbird feeders on March 15, and take them down one month after I have seen the last hummer feeding at one. That is done to provide food for those migrating through – both the ones coming through early in the spring and those passing through in the fall.
The earliest hummers to arrive for an extended stay in my yard are the Black Chins. The earliest I have actually seen them here is April 13, and the latest April 15. The males arrive first, and it is important to have feeders up by the time they arrive, because they are looking for a place to establish a home. So I must get the feeders out today (and should have had them out long ago!) If you live in the high desert and want hummers to hang around your garden, I would recommend the same for you. Continue reading
