Sunday 26th April '09 Thank you to everyone who entered my Name the Baby Dove competition. Just a little update before I discuss all the entries and announce the winner.
The babies are now 39 and 38 days old. Victory is the largest and therefore I assume the oldest. They are making slow but sure progress. On Friday I had to be out the whole day, much as I hate to leave them. I got them out of the nest box before I went for a while, and again when I came home at 6pm. I assume,the rest of the day they spent in the nest box. They are both capable of flying short distances and Victory has even got up onto the cardboard box and then flown to the nest box. so they could come out on their own, but they don't.
Hope still tries about twice a day to get them out and I did see one come out to the hedge with her for a short while, but then popped himself straight back in. I managed to get a quick photo - it's not very good but you can see the size difference between mother and offspring.
These show Hope fluttering on the hedge trying to encourage the babies out.
When I get them out they peck at the seeds I put on the ground and in little dishes for them and have sips of water, but they do not move far from the immediate area underneath the dovecote.
Hope has caught me with them out a couple of times but she doesn't seem to mind. She and Pascoe spend time on our roof or on the island and if they fly away them come back frequently to be near the babies. I'm hoping when these babies have grown-up that they will have another brood in the dovecote but that will be up to Pascoe as the male chooses the nesting site.
The baby on my hand is shown the nest box, then I retreat a few paces and let it fly.
It wheels round to the right place, but ends up too high and crash lands on the roof!
I'm still taking them in at night but that will have to stop soon as we go away next Wednesday. I weighed them yesterday morning and they have not put on any weight whatsoever since the last time which was a while ago. However, they are being fed, and feeding themselves a little now, and seem perfectly healthy so I am not worried about their weight.
Now to the contest.... Over 70 names were suggested - Wow! Honour was the most popular choice. Suggested first by Wizzard, and then by Puffin, spelt Honor. DJ Kirkby also gave it a mention, as did Jane Grey in three different forms - Honor, Honoree and Honory and Zoe suggested Timo which means Honour. It is a lovely name, but no, I didn't choose it this time.
Grace was suggested twice, by Camilla and Jane Grey. I do like this name very much. My mother had a very elegant friend called Grace, and my friend has a pretty daughter with this name. Pearl was also suggested twice, by Puffin and Pondside, and I think that's a very pretty and appropriate name for a dove, as is Peace, suggested by Puffin and Jude.
My online name, Faith, was suggested by Tiggywinkle and Jude. Very flattering but I didn't want to choose that.
Glory was suggested by Billie Jane who probably didn't realise that the squabs' daddy (killed by a hawk) had been Glory and Jane Grey suggested Gloria in honour of him - that was a lovely thought, Jane!
Some of the names suggested by children were sweet - Snowdrop, Pretty Dove (just Pretty in it's own is nice) and Fluffy - doves ARE fluffy when they have been bathing. See!
Fennie, much as we empathise with each other usually, surely you didn't expect me to call my delicate baby dove Vic Labour to go with Vic Tory? You are being too witty or off the wall for me! Coo is a cute little name and I liked your clever explanation. Puffin suggested Little Coo first though.
I did say that I wanted a name to 'go' with Victory and interesting attempts were made:
Nelson by ArtSparker (and my husband suggested that too).
Endeavour by Lee. I liked your connections with this one, Lee.
Victoria by Celtic Heart. I liked this as I had some doves from the feral flock last summer called Octavius and Octavia, and Victory and Victoria would've been similar.
Parade and March - suggested by Fennie and Billie Jane's husband. Well I agree they do go with Victory!
Grace was suggested twice, by Camilla and Jane Grey. I do like this name very much. My mother had a very elegant friend called Grace, and my friend has a pretty daughter with this name. Pearl was also suggested twice, by Puffin and Pondside, and I think that's a very pretty and appropriate name for a dove, as is Peace, suggested by Puffin and Jude.
My online name, Faith, was suggested by Tiggywinkle and Jude. Very flattering but I didn't want to choose that.
Glory was suggested by Billie Jane who probably didn't realise that the squabs' daddy (killed by a hawk) had been Glory and Jane Grey suggested Gloria in honour of him - that was a lovely thought, Jane!
Some of the names suggested by children were sweet - Snowdrop, Pretty Dove (just Pretty in it's own is nice) and Fluffy - doves ARE fluffy when they have been bathing. See!
Fennie, much as we empathise with each other usually, surely you didn't expect me to call my delicate baby dove Vic Labour to go with Vic Tory? You are being too witty or off the wall for me! Coo is a cute little name and I liked your clever explanation. Puffin suggested Little Coo first though.
I did say that I wanted a name to 'go' with Victory and interesting attempts were made:
Nelson by ArtSparker (and my husband suggested that too).
Endeavour by Lee. I liked your connections with this one, Lee.
Victoria by Celtic Heart. I liked this as I had some doves from the feral flock last summer called Octavius and Octavia, and Victory and Victoria would've been similar.
Parade and March - suggested by Fennie and Billie Jane's husband. Well I agree they do go with Victory!
Names that I have already used for my doves were suggested. Pax by Pipany - Pax was the leader of my original flock and was so special that I couldn't possibly call another dove after him. Paz, suggested by Pondside, sounds too much like Pax. Columba was one of my Pax and Persephone's babies, but you didn't know that, Celtic Heart. It's a beautiful name and I have seen my Columba back for visits on several occasions. And I think I called one of my feral doves that died, Blanche - as suggested by Jane Grey.
Other names that weren't quite right were:
Majesty suggested by Crystal Jigsaw - too grand! Your own name Crystal would be lovely now I come to think about it.
Endurance suggested by Pondside - no, sorry, it's not a pretty enough word for a dove.
Abrax suggested by Zoe - I like the meaning, but not the word.
Yrotciv (reversal of Victory) suggested by Calico Kate - I'd never be able to say it!
Verity suggested by Jane Grey. It's lovely but my niece is called Verity, and Valory (spelt Valerie) is my sister's name!
Some names didn't appeal very much including Jaws, Captain Beaky, Defeat (I know it was a joke EJ!), Alba and Dorothy (the name of my first Mother in Law).
Names that very much appealed were:
Fortune by Arosebyanyothername - I was very taken with that one.
Serenity by Camilla - a very suitable name for a white dove.
Charity by Jane Grey - very good for Hope's baby
Lucia by ChrisH- I just love the way that name sounds and ditto to Excelsis suggested by Calico Kate.
Cailean by Calico Kate (pronounced Kaylin and Gaelic for dove) - I've never heard that word before, it's lovely CH.
Constance by Zoe - one of my favourite names of all time.
So what name did I eventually choose for Victory's brother or sister?
When I said I wanted a name to 'go' with Victory, I actually meant I wanted a name that went with the word Victory, rather than the meaning of victory, or the ship Victory.
The names for my doves tend to pop into my head. I chose Hope as I was hoping so much that the pair of feral white doves interested in my dove cote at the beginning of the year would set up home and the name Glory of course followed on naturally. It has been a victory for me to rear these babies. The last babies hatched in the dovecote were the Ugly Dovelings, born at the end of July 07 who died aged two weeks and before them the tiny babies who died aged a few days old at the end of May 07. I haven't had any babies successfully reared for two years - the last being Francis and Iona - March 07.
So Victory it was for my first new baby in two years, and I suppose a Triumph for me (as suggested by Pipany, but no I didn't choose that one).
Although I wanted to have the naming competition I couldn't help names coming into my head as to what I would call the other baby if I was to name it myself, and one particular word came into my mind.
When I saw this name suggested on my blog I was very surprised and pleased. The very name I would've chosen. The perfect name!
PURITY
I love this name, and, for me, it works perfectly with Victory. Three syllables and both ending with 'y'.
Other names that weren't quite right were:
Majesty suggested by Crystal Jigsaw - too grand! Your own name Crystal would be lovely now I come to think about it.
Endurance suggested by Pondside - no, sorry, it's not a pretty enough word for a dove.
Abrax suggested by Zoe - I like the meaning, but not the word.
Yrotciv (reversal of Victory) suggested by Calico Kate - I'd never be able to say it!
Verity suggested by Jane Grey. It's lovely but my niece is called Verity, and Valory (spelt Valerie) is my sister's name!
Some names didn't appeal very much including Jaws, Captain Beaky, Defeat (I know it was a joke EJ!), Alba and Dorothy (the name of my first Mother in Law).
Names that very much appealed were:
Fortune by Arosebyanyothername - I was very taken with that one.
Serenity by Camilla - a very suitable name for a white dove.
Charity by Jane Grey - very good for Hope's baby
Lucia by ChrisH- I just love the way that name sounds and ditto to Excelsis suggested by Calico Kate.
Cailean by Calico Kate (pronounced Kaylin and Gaelic for dove) - I've never heard that word before, it's lovely CH.
Constance by Zoe - one of my favourite names of all time.
So what name did I eventually choose for Victory's brother or sister?
When I said I wanted a name to 'go' with Victory, I actually meant I wanted a name that went with the word Victory, rather than the meaning of victory, or the ship Victory.
The names for my doves tend to pop into my head. I chose Hope as I was hoping so much that the pair of feral white doves interested in my dove cote at the beginning of the year would set up home and the name Glory of course followed on naturally. It has been a victory for me to rear these babies. The last babies hatched in the dovecote were the Ugly Dovelings, born at the end of July 07 who died aged two weeks and before them the tiny babies who died aged a few days old at the end of May 07. I haven't had any babies successfully reared for two years - the last being Francis and Iona - March 07.
So Victory it was for my first new baby in two years, and I suppose a Triumph for me (as suggested by Pipany, but no I didn't choose that one).
Although I wanted to have the naming competition I couldn't help names coming into my head as to what I would call the other baby if I was to name it myself, and one particular word came into my mind.
When I saw this name suggested on my blog I was very surprised and pleased. The very name I would've chosen. The perfect name!
PURITY
I love this name, and, for me, it works perfectly with Victory. Three syllables and both ending with 'y'.
So Purity is the name I have chosen for my 'little one' and thank you, Elizabethd, for reading my mind and choosing the very name that my heart had chosen already.
I will contact you through Purplecoo private messages to ask what prize you would prefer - a bouquet, some lovely chocolates or a surprise!
I will contact you through Purplecoo private messages to ask what prize you would prefer - a bouquet, some lovely chocolates or a surprise!
If Purity hadn't been suggested then I may well have chosen Fortune or Serenity.
Thank you very much everyone for reading my dove blogs and taking part in my little competition. Please come back soon as I want to add Jane Grey's YouTube photos (set to music)
of her lovely little woodpigeon squab - also called Hope - hatched among the geraniums in her windowbox - when I work out how to do it! If you can't wait then look up Hope in Paris on YouTube.
The end.
(you may have to scroll down a bit for the comments section)
8 comments:
So many lovely names, Faith. Now that you have successfully raised these little rascals, you will never have a shortage of names for the future. Congratulations to Elisabethd on choosing Purity. The photos are delightful.
A really lovely name, Faith, and well done Elizabethd for suggesting it.
Purity is such a beautiful name, many congratulations to Elizabethd for choosing it.
The photo's of your Doves are so lovely Faith.
xx
Oh! Thank you Faith! I'll pm you!
Purity! Perfect name.
Sorry I didn't get to contribute, but you've had such a wonderful response.
Congratulations to elizabethd!
Well Done.
And the baby doves look beautiful, so glad all is well
Thank you for sharing the various entries and your selection process - very interesting and enjoyable. This has been a fun contest. Purity is the perfect name and congratulations to Elisabethd!
There were some lovely names suggested, Faith. Serenity was one of my favourites. But Purity is beautiful. If you were thinking it too then it was obviously meant to be.
Again, gorgeous photos as always. I often look at your beautiful book which shows off the doves to perfection.
CJ xx
Hi
I've just come across your site one week into my new venture.
I have four young doves 6-10 weeks old.
They seem to be quite content but only one will willingly rest within the dovecote the others preferring to precariously perch on the sloping roof hard up against the net.
At the moment in the evening I am putting them into their own hole within the cote and blocking the door to keep them in.
I have no idea whether this is right or wrong - is their behaivour normal and if I leave them will they eventually find their own way into the cote?
I am still trying to establish the sexes of each of the doves but as each day passes their characters are coming forward.
I look forward to hearing from you.
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