This beautiful little dove came to be this winter because of a little visitor we had. Earlier this same day we were watching a Pileated Woodpecker out the livingroom window. I am always amazed at their size and beauty. They are also quite skittish so we didn't get to watch him for long.
Later in the day when my son Reuben yelled to me about a bird I thought is was about the woodpecker we had seen earlier. He yelled and asked me to come take a look, he said, "What is that a chicken"? Now mind you Reuben grew up on a farm and their were chickens everywhere. I looked out the window and waddling up our walkway was a white dove!
Our neighbor has a Dove Cote next door and this poor little dove had lost his way. The dove walked all the way up the walkway and looked in the door. Then he tried flying up into the window were our cat Patch was watching intently. Then he proceeded to walk to the other front door and repeat the whole thing. Rick followed him out as he walked out onto the lawn and he gently herded the bird toward the back of the house. The weird thing was other than the one time of trying to fly into the window he walked everywhere! I went to the back of the house to the three-season porch/bunny hutch. About this time our bunny named "Rabbit" a Lyons head rabbit noticed the dove and I would say by his reaction he thought it was a raptor! He was running as fast as he could and thumping to frighten away this creature that was surely going to eat him. I went out on the porch and opened the slider in the direction on the dove, low and behold he came right in. We cornered the bird, called the neighbors and returned the bird to his home. It was quite the adventure. So I was inspired to make this dove. I also gave him to the neighbors as a gift, they wouldn't have to worry about this one getting away.