My quote of the day today is actually a verse by English romantic poet Christina Rossetti, who lived from 1830 to 1894. The poem begins “I wonder if the sap is stirring yet, If wintry birds are dreaming of a mate.” I don’t know about the sap….Hang on a tick. I DO know about the sap. It must be flowing because the maple syrup festival at our local conservation parks begins this week.
I was going to say, I don’t know about the sap, but I do know about the wintry birds….They are certainly dreaming of a mate…
I know from my frequent walks at Ashbridge’s Bay that the all ducks are certainly in the mating mood. But it seems there’s some mating on going on closer to home. . .
Just today, while I was having my lunch, I happened to look out to my garden, and there, on the railing of my deck, were two love birds courting. A pair of most handsome mourning doves, doing their mating dance along my railing. It was a spectacle to behold: all fluffling of feathers, mirrored neck motions between the male and female, then what looked for all the world like kissing. The two doves, facing each other, repeatedly touched their bills together, opening them slightly to get better contact. I tried to take a wee video of the doves to post, but sadly, could not get my camera (new — I don’t know how to operate it properly yet) to work.
I’ll just have to hope that they come back and I can try again.
Delighted to know that in a few months there will be some young mourning doves around my yard.
© BCP 2011
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