Mourning Doves

I was visiting my son and his fiancée today at his house about an hour northwest of where we live. He has this magnificent Japanese red maple on his front lawn and I was taking photos of the tree and some of the landscaping and bird houses he has when I heard a familiar sound. Almost like an owl but it was daylight so I knew it must be a mourning dove.
I looked up into the tree and there was a pair sitting on a branch being very still. I was careful not to make any sudden movement and I slowly brought my camera up to get the photo. As soon as the shutter *clicked* they were off. I was happy to see I captured the shot before they left.
The Mourning Dove is a member of the dove family. The bird is also called the Turtle Dove or the American Mourning Dove. It makes a woo-OO-oo-oo-oo sound which gives the bird its name. The wings can make a kind of whistling sound when taking flight. The bird is a strong flier and is known to go up to 55 mph!!

We had a nice visit and went for lunch to a local restaurant before heading back home. It's funny that it's not that far from us at all and yet the atmosphere and surroundings are very different. Much more farms and open space. Almost feels like a little vacation.