Mourning Dove juvenile

Gallery: AvianPosted June 15, 201178 views6 comments

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

Place: Phoenix, AZ
Date: June 10, 2011 9:46 am
Equipment: Nikon D200, Nikkor AF-S 70-300 VR @ 300mm
Exposure: ISO 400, Aperture priority matrix metered, 1/800th @ f8
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac G4, 59% of full frame

An unfortunate young dove that left the nest too soon and got caught out in the hot unyielding AZ sun. I didn't want to stress it any more than it already was so I just grabbed a couple frames hand held as the dove crawled towards some shade. We saw the bird around our yard for a couple of days and don't know its ultimate fate.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated.

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on June 15, 2011 at 4:32 PM

Nice detail and an excellent documentary image, Richard. The gaping moth conveys the sense of the heat. A tough time of year for a lot of youngsters.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on June 15, 2011 at 4:32 PM

I imagine those rocks are hot too. Hope he survived.
Nice image, even if sad.
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by David Sparks on June 15, 2011 at 7:53 PM

I'm think I would have had a problem with ID. I don't see Dove chicks or juveniles very often. I'm probably projecting your story on the image, but the juvenile does look stressed. Excellent detail.

Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on June 15, 2011 at 11:24 PM

Interesting image and the low angle helps a lot.

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on June 16, 2011 at 3:36 PM

Interesting to finally see a Mourning Dove this young, we never seen them around our place but I know they are out there. Good detail and not a good way to start for this youngster.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on June 26, 2011 at 7:51 AM

Doesn't look good for the little one, hope it made it somehow Richard..
Thanx for sharing this reality check.

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments