I have discovered for sure that my Easter baby, Iona, is in fact a male. He and Francis (sex as yet unknown) have often been seen on the roof lately and Iona was showing typical male courting behaviour. I like to know what sex my doves are, and I'm not surprised he's male - he's been big from the start; a very handsome strong dove.
John and Lily have been seen mating a few more times, and the other night spent the night together in one nestbox, but I think it may be well past nesting time for this year...... I hope so.
I have come to the conclusion that the doves have two sittings for dinner! 20-30 come for the first sitting at about 4-5pm and another 10-20 (Iona and Francis included) come about 5-6pm. I feed them all!
I managed to get a picture of Speckles. He's lovely and has feathered feet similar to Joseph's but not quite so impressive.
The photos show (top to bottom) A pair of doves, with male in courting mode (see big neck),Iona, Francis, Iona and Speckles, Speckles.
