Mourning Dove

Last Sunday afternoon, while washing the dishes, I heard cooing and immediately recognized the sound as the mourning dove. I knew they were close, and I knew it was a couple because they are always together. When I went to the dining room window, there it was! Perched on the deck gate. After a few snapshots of the back of its head, it finally turned and looked at the window.

The mourning doves are such sweet birds. The are beautiful and have a distinctive cooing sound. We have a couple that return every year. With many trees surrounding our property, they have their pick of which one to nest in. This year, I think they have selected the spruce tree close to the deck. They have been flying in and out of that tree, and that's where its mate was cooing from while this one said hello from the gate.

The spring weather hasn't been great, but last Sunday we had a rare sunny day with above normal temperatures, which I'm sure all the birds appreciated as  much as we did.

A Splash of Lilacs

 

It's still too cold here for my lilac tree produce flower buds or even a leaf, but I wanted to create an art piece to portray their beauty, and to help promote their growth.

Lilacs were my mother's favorite flower. I used to cut several branches of blooms and bring them to her on mother's day. Seeing the lilacs, and smelling their amazing fragrant scent, always makes me think fondly of my mother.

In this artwork, I matched the colors of the lilacs and leaves to create a fun splash background.

I'll share a photo when the real lilacs are in bloom.