The vanity of the dove - 7 photos

[SacMac]

Hmmm what's that?


Oh, a stray feather...


Got it!!!


Oooh, that made be itch!


Any more down there?


Now aren't I beautiful?


In fact I'm so beautiful I'll fluff up all my feathers and my tail too!!


Straight out of camera, just cropped for size. C&C always welcome, but just thought this was a funny sequence.

[canonloader]

Nice series Sheryl. I always like to watch the birds preening.

[eccles]

I've found collared doves to be a little sensitive to prolonged attention. You must have got quite close here to get that sort of detail though. Nice set.

[SacMac]

Thanks guys. Eccles, we have four collared doves who sit in the tree behind our garden all day every day - I think they're used to me pointing this big white thing at them!!! Distance was about 35 feet with a 400mm, so I did have to crop to illustrate the sequence.

[canonloader]

I've got a dozen regulars here. I know what Eccles means. If I walk by the window, they flinch and freeze, but don't take off. If I stop and stand to look, they stare at me to see what I am going to do. If I stand and stare back, they get increasingly nervous, and eventually fly away like they are guilty of something.

I can sit in the window though, breaking up my profile, and quietly talk to them, and they will relax, even letting me take shots from as close as 6 or 7 feet.