Expert: Julia Booth - 12/6/2008

Question
I Live next to the Main Street in an almost rural but still busy area of Massachusetts. I have a 2 story deck and on the 1st floor in the very  corner there has been what believe is a mourning Dove perched on a screw  that sticks out every night. At first I thought it was a bee's nest when I saw some white stuff on the railing below it but upon closer inspection with a flashlight I realized it was a bird. It seems to show up around 4:00PM I have seen it out there as late as 1 AM and is gone by the time I wake up (9:00AM). It does not move when we go out there at night and doesn't seem to mind the light in its face it just looked at me and moved its head a bit.  I never see it during the day and I noticed the white on the rail about a week or two ago. Why is this bird here and not in a nest and is it sleeping? I am not familiar with birds at all and I have to say it is a little creepy out there looking at me in the shadows. Could it swoop down at me or will it not bother with me? I would just like to understand what it is doing there and when it will leave.
Thank you.

Answer
Yes, it is sleeping. Although I would think it would be more sheltered, considering the temperature in Mass right now. Birds only "nest" when they are attempting to produce young. During the off season, many of them simply roost like this, on eaves and under freeway overpasses. Doves are generally found in pairs or groups -for protective purposes. But of course there are always exceptions.

Mourning Doves are probably the most harmless birds there are. Often when they are actually nesting, as in sitting on eggs, they will completely ignore all external activity. When they are roosting, they seem to do the same. I've walked right up on a roosting dove and had it simply sit there and do nothing. It will not swoop down or attack you. The darkness makes it docile.

And yes, it is creepy. Fun fact about Mourning Doves -the sound you hear when they take off is not a call or a cry. It comes from their wings. I find this amusing since not only are they are not all that bright to begin with, but God has apparently cursed them by making them conspicuous. It's lonely at the bottom of the food chain.

Hope this helps,

Julia