Wow, what a greeting.

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The little Laughing dove arrives at 5pm every day to come and eat.
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A very short preening session, as he was cleaning himself before dinner, before another downpour started.

I have two bird species in here for you to enjoy. First the Laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis), and then a Cape Spurfowl family (Pternistis capensis).

My mom would not let us ever sit at the table, unless we had cleaned up first. She was also a bird lover, and obviously nature taught her many things, such as the wildlife cleaning themselves before and after they have eaten. So, I can blame the birds for all of the hidings that I scored for not washing my hands. But such was life. Nature holds the same lesson, as her residents preen (clean) themselves regular every day. We have the fiercest of gale storm winds here lately, and they drive the rain clouds around at top speed. The rain clouds are intermittent, as there are short breaks between them, and it is during the breaks that the birds rush out to find food.

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Then rain started again, and he had to eat very fast.
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A family of Cape Spur Fowls also arrived.

The parent gave me a critical look.
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But then she decided that I was okay, and they ignored me.
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I loved how the one at the back shook its head to get the raindrops off.
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Orange legs and beaks, so lovely.
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How do I know that the little laughing dove is a male? Well, we have 3 couples of ringneck doves also here, and the laughing dove is much smaller than them. So, when the ringnecks come to join the laughing dove gets very cheeky, and he runs toward them to chase them away from his food. If it was a female laughing dove, much smaller than the male, she wouldn’t chase the ringnecks, and she would simply abandon the food and fly away. Not the male though, as he is another kettle of fish for the ringnecks to deal with carefully, I have to say. It’s amazing to see how the smaller critters in nature defend themselves against the bigger bullies. We had a little Chihuahua doggy that thought he was a Rottweiler, as he would even challenge Pitbull dogs.
Such is life.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.

Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.

Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.

Thank you kindly for supporting this post.

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23 comments
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It is incredible how in every story our mother is present and all the lessons she left us.

Of these species of birds I had never seen the laughing dove and I find it very beautiful.

Thank you very much for sharing this story that is familiar, animal, natural with teachings for life.
Happy journey
Cheers and greetings.

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Oh yes, mothers are very special people, and they remain in our hearts.

Glad that you liked the little laughing dove.

Thank you also for the compliment.

Stay well.

!BEER

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Such a charming story! The mix of personality, nature, and nostalgia made this a delightful read. The photos truly bring it all to life.

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Nature truly is the best teacher, even in the simplest things like cleaning up before eating.
It gave me such a warm feeling reading how you combined this with your memories of your mom and her love for birds.
These two bird species are truly beautiful and so lovely to see.
Thank you for this heartfelt story and the amazing photos! 🌿

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Nature has an impact on all of our lives. and if only everyone can understand the value of nature.
I like to do stories that that are combined with my own personal experiences, as maybe when I am gone from this planet, my grandchildren and their children could also read it.
Glad that you liked the birds and the story.
Be well.

!PIZZA and !LUV

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I've never seen such beautiful birds before; I find their colors and the way they explain the difference between the males and females of this species very interesting. The images contrast the environment and the features of these animals; I can even sense their tranquility and curiosity. Greetings.

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Thank you, and I hope that you will also be on Hive for many years.

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The photos are incredible; they remind me of the blue pigeon, a relative of the European turtle dove, but smaller. One of these used to perch on my roof to rest and drink from a fountain I had. I loved sitting and watching it. I also know a bird very similar to the Cape capercaillie, called the codornis. I used to see flocks of these at all hours of the day during their season. I loved your post; it brought back many fond memories. Excellent post.

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Thank you, and the blue pigeon sounds interesting. When I mention the word Cape, it means the Western Cape Province in South Africa.
Glad that I could stir some of your memories !LOL

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