Creating a Lake

[have_blue]

Last August Steph spotted this pair of Inca Doves.
Eddie

Eddie,

Some new little doves showed up around here 4-5 years ago. For the first 2-3 years they were very scarce, but now they're very common. They have rusty red wing tips and tail feathers, and are about half the size of a mourning dove. Would you have any idea what they are?

 

[BTDT]

Eddie,

Some new little doves showed up around here 4-5 years ago. For the first 2-3 years they were very scarce, but now they're very common. They have rusty red wing tips and tail feathers, and are about half the size of a mourning dove. Would you have any idea what they are?

Mourning Dove

Down toward the bottom may be a description of the dove you mention.

 

[EddieWalker]

Eddie,

Some new little doves showed up around here 4-5 years ago. For the first 2-3 years they were very scarce, but now they're very common. They have rusty red wing tips and tail feathers, and are about half the size of a mourning dove. Would you have any idea what they are?

Bob,

I took a quick look in one of Stephs bird books and it sounds like a Common Ground Dove. They are 1.1 ounces and has flashing rufous-red primaries and wing linings and a black tail with a white corners. They said that it's considered tame and will not fly away until almost stepped upon.

The book shows there range into the very Southern, Eastern corner of Lousiana. Is that where you are?

The Mourning Dove weighs 4.3 ounces.

Let me know if that's it,
Eddie

 

[have_blue]

BTDT: The new doves are very small. My local mourning doves could nearly swallow one whole.

Eddie: I live in SW Louisana. The ground dove's size is about right, but the body shape and coloration aren't very close. The new dove doesn't have the chubby looking body of the ground dove. The body is slimmer, and shaped more like a cockatiel. The wing tips and tail feather tips are the rufous color.

I guess the local coloration can vary widely, and it well may be a ground dove or Inca dove.

This picture of a diamond dove's wing sure looks right. Maybe some went feral?

http://www2.ups.edu/biology/museum/DIDOwing12329.jpg

 

[wfontjr]

inca doves have showed up around the orange, lake charles area in the last few years, similiar to diamond doves without the diamonds

 

[EddieWalker]

The water is still dropping. It's increased from an inch a week to two inches a week. The weather has also warmed up quite a bit and we've been in the 70's. Grass is starting to show up and there are a few areas that actually look like it's turning green!!!!

Steph and I were at Walmart on Saturday and I noticed that they had minnow traps. Hmmm. There's an idea!!!

Peyton is 6 years old and my little buddy. We put some fish food in the trap, tied it to the dock and he threw it in the water. We waited a few hours, which really killed him, and pulled it up. There was over a dozen minnows in it!!!!

Now his reward for getting a "green bear" at school is to pull up the minnow trap and then let them go in the lake. So far so good, every day has been green bear days. hahaha

We've been averageing over 30 fish per day in the trap, but decided to move it around the small pond to keep the preasure off. Some of the minnows are small, but most are very large and at least two in every catch has been pregnant.

It's Payton's job to let them go. He catches them in the bucket, looks them over real good to see if it's pregnant or not, then he puts in in the water and lets it swim away.

Pics are of him with the trap, fish in the trap, fish in the bucket and Peyton letting them go one at a time.

Eddie

 

[Michael_E_Tx]

Hey Eddie! Most inspired! What an excellent idea. Man, you can see the enjoyment in his face and body. Good for you guys.

Mike

 

[Bird]

It won't be long before Peyton will not want to turn those minnows loose; he'll want to put them on a hook for bait for bigger fish. And yep, Spring is getting close. I mowed today for the second time this year, and I noticed the buds are just starting to open on the Bradford Pear trees; ought to have white blossoms soon.

 

[gemini5362]

It won't be long before Peyton will not want to turn those minnows loose; he'll want to put them on a hook for bait for bigger fish. And yep, Spring is getting close. I mowed today for the second time this year, and I noticed the buds are just starting to open on the Bradford Pear trees; ought to have white blossoms soon.

Eddie if he is like my boys at that age. Between me and their grandparents serious money was spent on them at christmas. From the look of enjoyment on his face we could have bought them a minnow trap

 

[meadowlarkponds]

Eddie,

Have you been able to find any wet areas behind the dam?