BIRDS OF NANTUCKET
LAWN DART BIRDS
by Kenneth Turner Blackshaw
Do any of you remember Lawn Darts? They were also called 'Jarts.'Acheck on the internet shows them falling into the category of 'the most dangerous toys of all time!' They were little spears with fins on the back that you would toss at a target on the ground. They have been banned in the U.S. since 1988, but they sure were a lot of fun. In our new 'safe' world we are no longer allowed to have pointy things.

Mourning Dove

But if you are over the age of 30 and see a row of this week's birds on the phone wire with their pointy ends sticking down, 'lawn darts' should come to your mind. I get the strange feeling that if I pitched one of these birds through the air it would end up sticking in the ground on its tail.

Mourning Doves are common on Nantucket year 'round, but non-birders tend to ignore them. They are mainly brown - darker above and lighter below. They spend a lot of time on the ground and blend in with it. If you do stumble on a group of them the result can be quite startling. They spring into the air with big commotion, actually clapping their wings in their haste and then making a whistling sound as they bolt away. To me it always sounds like they could use a shot of Three-in-One oil to make their parts work more smoothly.

They measure longer than a robin but the body size is quite similar. What looks different is their small head atop a longish neck and the long pointed tail. They waddle rather than hop, and present a rather dithering image. My wife thinks they are the dumbest birds around but they are very good at being doves.

When my Dad moved to the suburbs and started feeding birds he failed to make the distinction between these and the domestic pigeons that have such a bad reputation in the city. I had to explain that these were good native American birds without the slovenly habits of their cousins.

Mourning Doves were scarce here as I was learning my birds in the '50s. Our early Christmas Bird Counts show almost none but by the '70s we had hundreds every year and that trend continues to the present. Perhaps the cessation of hunting them in New England has made a difference. They are still favorite game birds in many states. This came as a shock to me when I lived in Georgia and a hunting friend spoke of shooting them. The bag limit down there is a dozen birds, enough for dinner for four I'd say.

It's hard to imagine eating something like a Mourning Dove but if you ever hold one in your hand you realize they have quite a bit of substance. This also makes them a favorite of just about every bird of prey around Nantucket. I'm forever finding little piles of dove feathers near my feeders providing crime scene evidence that the local Cooper's Hawk has had breakfast.

My friend and mentor, Edith Andrews, points out that Mourning Doves are 'loosely feathered.' When struck by a hawk a cloud of feathers erupts and you think the dove is a goner. But no - it is still flying away. It's like a 'tear-away' jersey on a football player.

So why do these doves mourn? It has to do with the woeful sound of their cooing call. It is a four-note call, the first a bit higher followed by three lower descending notes. I had a student from the College of Forestry at Syracuse try to tell me that I was hearing an owl. He got quite upset with me when I explained that was what a Mourning Dove sounded like. If you think you are hearing owls around your place you are probably hearing doves.

The scientific name for the Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura, is fun to dissect. The genus name was given by Charles Lucien Bonaparte, an eighteenth century naturalist and nephew of Napoleon. He named it for his wife, Zenaide, daughter of the King of Spain and also his cousin. It was like a Valentine for her in a way since it was the 'lovebird' reputation of these birds that expressed his feelings for her. Of course actions speak even louder than words and the couple had 12 children. By the way macroura means 'long tail,' presumably the bird's.

We've come a long way from Lawn Darts to Napoleon and there is still plenty more to say about these sad sounding birds that are on everyone's menu. We'll pick up our discussion of these gentle and subtle creatures again in a few weeks. I

George C. West creates illustrations for these articles. If you enjoy 'social' birding, join the Nantucket Bird Club at 8 a.m. Sundays in front of Nantucket High School for a two to three hour birding trip. Call 228-1693 for more information. To hear about rare birds, or to leave a bird report call the Massachusetts Audubon hot line at 1-781-259-8805. Ask Ken a question at: kenandcindy1@comcast.net.