Mourning Dove

Erika and I looked for ducks on Olympia’s Capitol Lake on 11 November 2020. “Isn’t that a Mourning Dove?” asked Erika. Water seemed an unlikely habitat for a dove. It took me a few seconds to refocus on some nearby railroad tracks. My first Thurston County Mourning Dove photograph—I shared with you one from next-door Mason County a few weeks ago. We are not sure this dove was feeling too spiffy. Its feathers were ruffled and the bird was still in the immediate vicinity when we returned 40 minutes later. I doubt it was hit by a train—more likely the dove had a close encounter with a car or some predator.