Monday, July 25, 2011

That's My World Tuesday: Primping and Preening


One of my favorite parts of photographing birds in their baths is that I get more details on their feathers and markings.
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I'm used to thinking of the mourning dove as having fairly smooth flat feathers and didn't realize the variety until I got closeups in the bath.
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There is even more detail when the dove gets out of the bath and starts primping and preening.
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It's interesting to me to see the individual feathers more clearly.
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It also looks about double its size at this stage of the drying process after preening.
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For comparison below is a shot of the same dove before its bath and you can see that it could have gone with a larger bath but it opted for privacy in the small one. The gray bird in the bath at the top of the shot below is a catbird. The other bird sharing that bath is probably a rufous sided towhee but I never got a good look at it so it may be a young American Robin.
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16 comments:

  1. Jenny WoolfJuly 25, 2011 at 6:52 AM

    This is really fascinating. I have never thought of the feathers UNDER the ones we normally see. The picture at the top actually reminded me of some romantic stormy sky picture. Lovely. Thanks for these.

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  2. AnonymousJuly 25, 2011 at 10:35 AM

    Delightful shots!

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  3. Penelope NotesJuly 25, 2011 at 11:21 AM

    Seeing this adorable dove preening from up close, thanks to your photos, makes me feel as light as a feather, Carver. :) How interesting and possibly polite of the bird to not join the smaller birds and choose what is perhaps a less convenient but obviously joyful bathing experience!

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  4. IndraniJuly 25, 2011 at 1:17 PM

    What a wonderful photo opportunity for you. :)

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  5. Photo CacheJuly 25, 2011 at 1:23 PM

    Oh that is so delightful. I have put up a fountain in teh backyard temporarily, we don't know for sure where we will put it. I was told that I get many birds around the fountain taking a bath - but never on a weekend where I can capture them :(

    I get regular visits from a mourning dove too - I put seeds in the backyard - gives my kitties things to watch :)

    Carver do me a big favor again please and sign me up for MY WORLD as Photo Cache (http://calrat.blogspot.com) and email as mymillado at g mail dot com.

    Thanks a bunch.

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  6. RajeshJuly 25, 2011 at 3:05 PM

    Fantastic shots of the bird. The details are very nice.

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  7. SivindenJuly 25, 2011 at 3:16 PM

    I like your pictures of the dove - very nice!

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  8. EG CameraGirlJuly 25, 2011 at 3:17 PM

    I love all the detail you got in these shots! Like you, I never would have thought a mourning dove had so many feathers.

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  9. Sylvia KJuly 25, 2011 at 3:22 PM

    Lots of lovely birds in several of our worlds today and I do love this one with all his preening! Delightful captures, Carver! Hope you have a wonderful day!

    Sylvia

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  10. LewJuly 25, 2011 at 3:23 PM

    Great sequence of photos! The doves are pretty, even with their muted colors. Years ago they would sit on top of our chimney and the cooing would echo through the house. I also have birds in a bath this week.

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  11. Sallie (FullTime-Life)July 25, 2011 at 4:53 PM

    I'd love to share your world for a little while -- great photo ops and you did a great job with it. I never have noticed those intricate feathers on the mourning dove. Where we stay now (on both coasts) the birds have bigger water to use so a bird bath wouldn't be too much of a draw. But when we owned our home in a suburb here in Oregon, I think we got more birds b/c of the bath than b/c of the feeders.

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  12. eileeninmdJuly 26, 2011 at 5:11 AM

    Carver, great serie sof photos on the doves. They are sweet looking birds and I love watching the birds bathing.

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  13. ArijaJuly 26, 2011 at 6:51 AM

    Oh so beautiful! I just love bird in the bath. Great shots indeed.

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  14. Carolina MountainsJuly 26, 2011 at 2:49 PM

    Great shots. I can't get teh birds to use my baths.

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  15. JoyfulJuly 26, 2011 at 4:56 PM

    These photos are adorable. Watching birds take a bath is one of my favourite things. I don't get to see it so often.

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  16. Tina´s PicStoryJuly 27, 2011 at 3:38 PM

    Great shots all over! LG Tina

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