Drunken Doves

Just outside our sun room is a vintage mangle topped with an old door held down by a brick or two, which serves as an improvised bird table (this was a temporary measure a couple of years ago but is so well visited by the local bird population - as well as the odd squirrel -  that we haven’t managed to make something more permanent).

Today, I was concerned to see our resident pair of ring necked doves in what looked like a crash landing on this makeshift table. They were just stuck there on their tummies with their little legs tucked up beneath them, eyes dazed, looking drunk and I thought, starting to get slightly panicky, that they were maybe ill or injured, perhaps attached by cats – Pumpkin, a ginger tomcat who lives next door is rather partial to a bit of dove or pigeon breast. However, on closer inspection I could see that they were actually catching the rays as the sun had made a rare and brief appearance. They were hogging the bird table and were sprawled right on top of the bird seed so the poor little sparrows and finches had to resort to pecking the seed that had spilled over onto the ground.

The doves were obviously enjoying themselves immensely and having a right old bask with their wings spread out, even turning to get the best position and a touch of warmth to all their bits. They didn’t even mind me poking my camera in their face for a close up.