Mourning Dove
The Mourning Dove is another favorite subject of mine. They are also very common birds around my home. They often sit still for long periods of time making them excellent subjects for photographs. On our property we have several large mesquite trees that were killed in the Monument Fire in 2011. Their skeletal remains are favorite resting spots for these doves. From a distance these birds often just look like a drab grey bird but close up the browns, grey and blacks have a slight iridescence of blue, just barely visible in this photograph on the back of the neck and on the back between the wings. Sometimes in the right light it will really stand out similar to the iridescence often seen on pigeons.