Unwanted

It seems that we are the only ones with a bird feeder in our neighborhood. For the majority of each day, there are anywhere from 10-15 little birds feeding in our front yard. We're going through birdseed pretty fast, but I love seeing the little ones eat and fly away. Some have even taken to building a nest on our back porch.

However, we have developed a dislike for a certain bird that causes the little ones to scurry away. This bird, is the morning dove. (Yes, I looked up the exact kind in our "Birds of Texas Field Guide.")

Yes, yes, the morning dove is lovely. She's a beautiful bird and has a soft "cooing" call. But, what I did not know that doves are clumsy, rude and ignorant.

Although not apparent in the above picture, doves are 3-4 times bigger than the little sparrows and songbirds that typically utilize the birdhouse. Not realizing their size, they still try to land on the birdhouse and feed from it. This usually results in the birdhouse swinging back and forth, knocking seed to the ground and the dove hitting our window. In the meantime, the little songbirds have taken flight and the stupid dove usually ends up looking confused and far from graceful.

Is it dove hunting season yet?!