Nesting Mourning Doves, and the Value of Telephoto

While on a recent hike we stopped to find a bird singing loudly in the distance. We guessed a Carolina Wren as the source, but the song varied so much we wanted to confirm. Sure enough, it came close enough to see through the binoculars, though far more challenging to find through the camera lens.

As I attempted the shot, I heard the clear call of a Morning Dove behind me. I turned around, and with my binoculars found the source. A pair of doves built a nest just off the trail, and not too far up the tree. I immediately backed off since the one dove clearly sat on eggs, or even young, I couldn’t be sure. The other dove, the one who called, flew to the nest and both watched me.

Using the telephoto lens at the full 400mm, I took several quick shots. I pointed out the birds and nest to my hiking companions, and after a look from a respectful distance we moved on. Without a long telephoto lens, I would not have taken this shot. It would have required getting too close to the nest, and risk the birds flying away.  We are naturalists in addition to photographers, and know the risks of spooking a bird away from the nest. No shot is worth that.

We took our master naturalist training through Sensing Nature, Jeanne Murphy and Brian Lane. They stressed during our courses the respect of nature and our responsibility not to disrupt it. Unfortunately, we meet many birders to whom the sighting or photograph takes precedence over the animal itself, to the point of disrupting it or playing calls of their predators to spook the bird into sight. We are glad we took our training from people who believe as we do and teach that belief.