This morning Hazel explained the finer details of training doves. She is starting with a new flock, fifty-five birds that have been kept inside their aviary since November. She purchased them from a place twenty miles away and the challenge is to reprogram them to accept this as their new home base. In two weeks she will start releasing some of them. She explained they need to be hungry when she lets them out, late in the afternoon. Since they will want to be back inside to roost when it's dark and they will be ready to eat a good meal, they will return to the coop of their own accord. Eventually they will be able to fly home from distances of up to three hundred miles.
When Hazel sees doves engaging in courting rituals she tags them, later placing them in nesting boxes to raise their own chicks; eventually she hopes to breed out the spotted birds and have a flock of snow white doves. Perfect for releasing at weddings, funerals, and any occasion where an impressive air show is called for. It was all very intriguing. How do these birds know where their home is? How do identical birds decide who they want to choose as a mate?
After a relaxing day hanging out, relaxing, and generally feeling stress seeping out of my system, I joined the fifty or so relatives that had congregated for an evening of awesome food, fellowship, ping pong, card games, and an all-around good time. I have three brothers and two sisters living within an hour or two of our present location. Along with nieces, nephews, in-laws, and a friend or two it made for a lively party. I am blessed to have siblings I actually like. Getting together with them is always enjoyable and since we are scattered far and wide it doesn't happen as often as I'd like. Maybe that's why we all like each other.
