Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Love Notes. Scratch That. Dove Notes

I believe after yesterday's poking fun at the mourning doves, they have all been busy early this morning leaving me little "love notes"? No, wait, scratch that, they've been leaving "Dove Notes". Of course!


I wish I was better at bird hieroglyphics. I have a sneaky suspicion they're telling me they're not as dumb as they look! This is the best I could decipher from the little symbols ... let me know if you see something different.


hmmm ... "follow your h.e.a...?!"

"l.o.o.k. o.n. t.h.e. b.r.i.g.h..." I dunno

"W.a.l.k. a. m.i.l.e. i.n. m.y. .s.h.o..."  Whoops! a little mistake there

"b.i.r.d.s. o.f. a. f.e.a.t.h.e.r. f.l....?!"


The only one that was painfully clear to me was this last one ....

"b.i.r.d. f.e.e.d.e.r. e.m.p.t.y."
 Got it.


I have been enjoying watching a link that Quinn of Comptonia put me onto. It's a live cam set up above the nest of a Great Horned Owl in Savannah, Georgia, high up in a pine tree in a golfcourse. The link is through Cornell University. If you're into bird watching, this is so fun to watch. I pop in to see Mrs. GHO early in the morning, and then throughout the day. Owls are most active at night, of course, but you won't miss a thing. There's an infra-red light that picks up all the details all through the night without disturbing the owl. 

I've enjoyed watching Mrs. GHO sit through a rain storm, be visited by a little jay who landed with some surprise on her nest, and watching her roll the eggs. Mr. GHO does not help in the egg incubation, but he can be heard hooting softly to the Mrs. letting her know he's caught a little snack for her. When she hears that, off she goes for just a few minutes to collect her dinner. Then quickly back to the nest where she settles in for several more hours. She is such a good mother. This morning the crows were pestering her out of view of the camera, but very vocal. You could hear her giving little warning screeches to them, but she did not budge from her eggs (there are two eggs). Apparently, the eggs are soon to hatch in the next week or so. 

There are lots of little informative notes that people add on the side bar. If you do go to the live video, you can change the setting to high-def for an excellent, clear image. Just click on the "settings" cog wheel on the bottom tool bar of the video screen, click the tiny arrow, and scroll up to the "hd" option. I just love this viewing. Thank you so much Quinn for sharing this link. There are other bird cams set up too, but I like watching the owl the best. There was a pair of Great Horned Owls living in our woods when I was a kid, and I would often see them high up in the trees. I could usually find out where the owl was by following the racket the crows made trying to get them to leave. 

"t.h.a.n.k.s. f.o.r. s.t.o.p.p.i.n. b.y."

Wendy ;)

Linking up with Eileen's Saturday Critters

http://viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca/2015/01/saturdays-critters-59.html

23 comments:

  1. Ha-ha! So cute all those little birdie prints. I hope you filled their little bellies up now. :) Will have to check out the owl cam. Have a great day. Tammy

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  2. Perhaps they are instructions to a new dance? ;) xxx

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  3. Seems it is pretty breezy in Savannah today. Amazing how birds are able to survive such conditions.

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  4. I loved this post so much Wendy I have not watched a bird cam in a long time thanks for the link

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  5. The Dove notes are so CUTE! They are leaving you all kinds of messages..Especially the all important feeder are empty.. I have to check out the link the owl webcam, thanks.. Have a happy day!

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  6. So cute following their footprints.
    Rosezeeta.

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  7. Adorable!!! There is nothing better! I recently met a gal who has a camera set up to capture the birds in her backyard and she has captured some amazing things!! Nothing as cool as your notes though! Happy Tuesday you!! Nicole xo

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  8. I'm so glad you are enjoying the owlcam as much as I am! It is quite addictive, I agree. The folks in GA did a great job setting it up. I hope we are watching when the babies hatch :)

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  9. Bird hieroglyphics! I learn something new on-line every day :-)
    Amalia
    xo

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  10. I love the mystery of prints in the snow. I always look for trails in the snow whenever I take the boys into the back forty to play ball. I most often see bunny trails and mouse runs.
    Thanks for including the owl link. The wind was blowing her feathers and it looked pretty cold when I dropped in. When I was younger I would have said watching nature shows or a live owl feed was boring, but now I love all that. Animals seem to interest me more and more as I get older.
    Thanks for thinking of me and Rusty. My heart is quite broken, but I am trying to get on with daily chores. Love the picture of your daughter and the family bunny. What a big, handsome fellow she is cuddling!

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  11. Wendy,
    Very, very cute! You clever little bird watcher!
    xxx-
    Jemma

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  12. Love looking at animal tracks and trying to figure out which animal made them. By the way when I said my cat loves doves I meant that she loves to watch them, she does not kill them, just admires them.

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  13. Brilliant post! And I've been enjoying the owl cam too :o)

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  14. OOh I love those hieroglyphics !!! They make me smile and brighten my day !! Thanks for sharing them. When it's snowing here (not very often.. this year, no snow for us in these parts (the Paris area)), I love snapping some few shots of clawsprints. Have a lovely and cozy day !

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  15. So lovely and such great fun Wendy!! I needed a smile, thank you for that! xx

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  16. Love this Wendy - and your deciphering of the hieroglyphics! (I can't believe I spelled that right!) So very sweet to see the little footprints in the snow. We have Great Horned Owls here, too, but rarely see them. How sweet that the mate brings her treats. I'll have to check out the web-cam - thanks for sharing and thank you for your dear comments on my blog. You are a sweet friend. xo Karen

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  17. love those little tracks! so cute!!

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  18. Hello Wendy, just stopping by to say thank you for linking up and sharing your post.. Have a happy day!

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  19. Wendy, I can't believe how perfect those little tracks are; they almost look animated! The bunch of them are beautiful in their group photo!

    Happy February!

    xx
    Poppy

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  20. Great site to share and how fun watching an owl. They are so amazing! Love the shots of your little dove feet and know you had fun getting the shots. Hope your winter is going well!

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Thanks so much for leaving a comment, it's nice to know when you've stopped by! :)

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