Woodstock & Sycamore
1 year: 7 months: 1 week: 3 days
8 months: 1 week: 1 day
Woodstock is 418 days old
On Saturday we went out to do some pretty standard shopping. Our last stop of the day was Jim’s Pet World to pick up a few other dove and parrot items that we weren’t going to get at that crappier nearby pet store: Pet Supplies Plus. My natural reaction upon entering Jim’s (now that I have Leif and Peg) is to immediately check out their dove selection and then eventually I get around to checking out the guinea pigs. I have doubts that I shall ever get over my love affair with those particular furry little animals thank you GG, Gemini, Gracie, George, Gracie II, Galadriel, Pink Ears, and Dark Ears.
Lately, Jim’s has been devoid of doves and I half expected there to be no ringneck doves available but it turns out there was a cage full of them. Two of them had the “wild” coloration, or at least something very close to it, so I brought my father back there to see them. Since getting Peg he’s wanted another dove. Working with them has brought him great joy in a way that I think working with Jynx never will. After all, if the doves turn violent they don’t have the ability to literally take a finger or two off with ease. Generally they aren’t “violent” so it’s even less of a problem.
I must admit to also wanting another dove, but not for myself. I want a dove for Woodstock. A companion for him. Honestly, what I wanted was a female mourning-ringneck hybrid to see if they could breed or not. Seems a little like playing God when I think about it. I kind of get off on the idea of starting a “new” dove species, but this is very unlikely to come to pass.
Instead of deciding to buy one of the doves right then and there he decided that we should wait for my mother (who currently has class on Saturdays) and get her reaction. I brought her out there the next day and we got one of the doves. (One of his choosing.) This was to be his late-Christmas present and though he tried to hide it, he was beyond thrilled at the prospect.
She (since the bird is female) has been named Sycamore to go along with Woodstock. So we now have Woodstock & Sycamore. Together they make up the ill-fated interurban of the same name. The Woodstock & Sycamore only lasted seven years (1911-1918), ran off of gasoline instead of overhead wire as planned because of a funding shortage, and only made it as far as Marengo, never reaching its intended terminal of Woodstock.
Woodstock isn’t taking to her exactly, but he’s always been very odd. I expect nothing else. But his behavior, it must be noted, is apparently “normal.” Leif did similar things when we got Peg and now they’re virtually inseparable. His actions are apart of the dominance setting “rituals” of doves. Eventually, once the dominance issue is sorted out, they should begin the “bonding period” which usually takes from a week to a month.
Lately, Leif has been bow cooing and hopping around and being his usual hornball self. Some time ago he injured one of his wings and took an extended recovery period. In this time he took little interest in Peg, coming out of the cage, me, cooing, or anything other than eating, drinking, defecating, and sleeping. Mostly sleeping.
Now that his recovery period is over he’s become “dangerous” again. So dangerous that we’re concerned about the number of doves we have. I’ll explain. On January 9th, Peg laid an egg in the new nest we’ve provided. (It’s the top of a small woven birdhouse.) This egg could quite possible be fertile. Yesterday she did it again. This egg too could be fertile. If one or both are, (and Peg and Leif’s parenting skills haven’t gone away) we could potentially have five or six doves on our hands.
I love the creatures, but this is getting to be a tad outrageous.
And I end this entry with a standard period.
8 months: 1 week: 1 day
Woodstock is 418 days old
On Saturday we went out to do some pretty standard shopping. Our last stop of the day was Jim’s Pet World to pick up a few other dove and parrot items that we weren’t going to get at that crappier nearby pet store: Pet Supplies Plus. My natural reaction upon entering Jim’s (now that I have Leif and Peg) is to immediately check out their dove selection and then eventually I get around to checking out the guinea pigs. I have doubts that I shall ever get over my love affair with those particular furry little animals thank you GG, Gemini, Gracie, George, Gracie II, Galadriel, Pink Ears, and Dark Ears.
Lately, Jim’s has been devoid of doves and I half expected there to be no ringneck doves available but it turns out there was a cage full of them. Two of them had the “wild” coloration, or at least something very close to it, so I brought my father back there to see them. Since getting Peg he’s wanted another dove. Working with them has brought him great joy in a way that I think working with Jynx never will. After all, if the doves turn violent they don’t have the ability to literally take a finger or two off with ease. Generally they aren’t “violent” so it’s even less of a problem.
I must admit to also wanting another dove, but not for myself. I want a dove for Woodstock. A companion for him. Honestly, what I wanted was a female mourning-ringneck hybrid to see if they could breed or not. Seems a little like playing God when I think about it. I kind of get off on the idea of starting a “new” dove species, but this is very unlikely to come to pass.
Instead of deciding to buy one of the doves right then and there he decided that we should wait for my mother (who currently has class on Saturdays) and get her reaction. I brought her out there the next day and we got one of the doves. (One of his choosing.) This was to be his late-Christmas present and though he tried to hide it, he was beyond thrilled at the prospect.
She (since the bird is female) has been named Sycamore to go along with Woodstock. So we now have Woodstock & Sycamore. Together they make up the ill-fated interurban of the same name. The Woodstock & Sycamore only lasted seven years (1911-1918), ran off of gasoline instead of overhead wire as planned because of a funding shortage, and only made it as far as Marengo, never reaching its intended terminal of Woodstock.
Woodstock isn’t taking to her exactly, but he’s always been very odd. I expect nothing else. But his behavior, it must be noted, is apparently “normal.” Leif did similar things when we got Peg and now they’re virtually inseparable. His actions are apart of the dominance setting “rituals” of doves. Eventually, once the dominance issue is sorted out, they should begin the “bonding period” which usually takes from a week to a month.
Lately, Leif has been bow cooing and hopping around and being his usual hornball self. Some time ago he injured one of his wings and took an extended recovery period. In this time he took little interest in Peg, coming out of the cage, me, cooing, or anything other than eating, drinking, defecating, and sleeping. Mostly sleeping.
Now that his recovery period is over he’s become “dangerous” again. So dangerous that we’re concerned about the number of doves we have. I’ll explain. On January 9th, Peg laid an egg in the new nest we’ve provided. (It’s the top of a small woven birdhouse.) This egg could quite possible be fertile. Yesterday she did it again. This egg too could be fertile. If one or both are, (and Peg and Leif’s parenting skills haven’t gone away) we could potentially have five or six doves on our hands.
I love the creatures, but this is getting to be a tad outrageous.
And I end this entry with a standard period.