Page 2B
RepOrter
January 9, 2019
MONROE OUTDOORS by Terry W. Johnson
he mourning dove is one
of our most recognizable
birds. It is also the most
harvested game bird
in North America. Each year,
hunters harvest some 70 million
mourning doves. Amazingly
more mourning doves are bagged
annually than all of
the ducks, geese and
other migratory birds
combined.
Remarkably, the
bird is also a favorite
of folks that enjoy
watching birds. Since
it nests in all of the
48 contiguous states,
it should come as no TERRY W,
surprise the mourning
dove is one of the birds
most commonly seen frequenting
backyard bird feeders.
Mourning doves are at home
in cities, subdivisions, farmlands,
and wfldlands alike. However,
regardless of where they live, all
of these fast-flying doves depend
upon seeds for survival. Food
habit studies have found 99
percent of the mourning dove's
diet is seeds. In fact, mourning
doves consume one of the largest
variety of seeds of any North
American bird. This means doves
are not only eating seeds in fields
where they are hunted or at
backyard bird feeders; they are
also dining on seeds elsewhere
throughout the rest of the year.
A mourning dove consumes
some 71 calories of food daily.
ais amounts to anywhere from
12-20 percent of their body
weight.
Whereas birds such as tufted
titmice, brown-headed nuthatch-
es and Carolina chickadees feed
by plucking a single seed from a
feeder, then fly off to a nearby tree
limb, crack the seed coat open
and then swallow the nutritious
food found within,
mourning doves em-
ploy a far different feed-
ing strategy. Mourning
doves quickly pick up
and swallow one seed
after another in rapid
succession.
Although it appears
that they are appar-
JOHNSON enflypassing the seeds
directly on to their
stomachs to be di-
gested, such is not the case. The
birds have the ability to store the
seeds in a structure called a crop.
From there the seeds pass on to
the stomach for digestion. "/Iris
allows the bird to eat lots of seeds
as quickly as possible. It can then
fly to a safer location and digest
its food. This reduces the chance
it will be captured by a predator.
Mourning dove crops can hold
an astonishingly large number of
seeds; one crop was found to be
full of 7,000 wood sorrel seeds.
However, the most seeds ever
recorded in a single crop were
17,200 ryegrass seeds.
Although they eat seeds of all
sizes, they prefer smaller seeds
above all others. Research has
demonstrated mourning doves
select seeds more on taste than a
seed's texture, color or shape.
Asany dove
hunter knows,
mourning doves
are attracted to
cereal grains,
such as millet,
wheat, oats, and
rye. However,
they also dine on
other crops, such
as canola, corn,
cowpea, vetch,
buckwheat,
cantaloupe,
watermelon,
amaranth, sun-
flower, safflower,
and sorghum.
Unfortunately,
the availability
of these seeds
is limited to a
short period
of time. This
necessitates the
birds seek out
a smorgasbord of seeds to meet
then" nutritional needs through-
out the majority of the year. Here
is a short list of some of the wild
food plants that provide seeds to
this popular bird when cultivated
crop seeds are not available:
pokeweed, crabgrass, pigweed,
chickweed, doveweed, paspalum,
panicgrass, ragweed, knotweed,
and smartweed, canarygress,
bluegrass, croton, sweetgum,
longleaf, loblolly and shortleaf
pine, and bahiagrass.
In one study, biologists used
captive mourning doves to
determine seed preferences. They
learned the seeds most preferred
A mourning dove feeds on bare ground. Mourning doves will search
for seeds under leaves but will not scratch through heavy ground lit-
ter like wild turkeys and brown thrashers do. (Photo/Terry Johnson)
by the doves were all millets-
-white proso followed by dove
proso and browntop.
Doves don't feed just anywhere.
They rarely pluck seeds from a
plant, preferring instead to dine
on seeds that have fallen to the
ground. Unlike wild turkeys and
brown thrashers, they will not
scratch through heavy ground
litter to reach hidden seeds.
While they will push aside leaves
and other light litter to reach
seeds, they prefer to feed on bare
ground.
It behooves hunters and wildlife
watchers alike to realize that a mi-
gratory bird such as the mourn-
ing dove requires a wide range of
habitats and foods
stretched over
hundreds of miles
stretching from
where it breeds to
its winter home.
As such, it is more
important that a
wide variety of
feeding habitats
and the seed-
bearing plants that
flourish in them
be maintained
than to provide
mourning doves
with food only
during the fall and
winter.
Obviously,
mourning dove
populations are
doing well right
now. However,
we cannot take it
for granted that
they will continue to do so. In the
not too distant past Americans
thought there was an endless sup-
ply of passenger pigeons. How-
ever, destruction of habitat and
overhunting completely wiped
out what many experts believe
was the most common bird in the
world.
m
5
,J
L
Terry Johnson is retired Program
Manager of the Georgia Nongame-
Endangered Wildlife Program.
He has written the informative
column "Monroe Outdoors'for the
Reporter for many years. Email
him at tjwoodduck@bellsouth.net.
/
L'
About 30 members of the
Monroe County chapter of
the Boys & Girls Club of Cen-
tral Georgia received bicycles "-
as Christmas gifts from an 7
anonymous donor on Dec. 13. .
The children were delighted
with the surprise, as director
Joel Tolliver and his staff set
the bikes up in rows at the old k'
Hubbard Middle cafeteria.
(Photo/Richard Dumas)
4
Continued from Front
derachievement with three
World Series titles since
2004, the Dodgers entered
the 2018 World Series try-
ing to snap a 30-year title
drought. The Red Sox, who
had the best record in fran-
chise history with 108 wins,
took a 2-0 series lead over
L.A. with a pair of wins
at Fenway Park to set the
stage for a pair of drama-
filled contests at Dodger
Stadium. In what would
turn out to be the longest
postseason game ever in
terms of innings (18) and
time (7 hours, 20 minutes),
the Dodgers narrowed their
series deficit to 2-1 in a 3-2
Game 3 victory that ended
at 3:30 a.m. Eastern time on
a walk-off homer by L.A.'s
Max Muncy. In a remark-
able historic note, Game 3
alone took longer to play
than the entire 1939 World
Series. Meeting again 15
hours later on limited rest
for Game 4, the Dodgers
seemed poised to even the
series after L.A. star Yasiel
Puig blasted a three-run
homer in the bottom of
the sixth inning to put the
Dodgers up 4-0. But in the
top of the seventh, Dodg-
ers manager Dave Roberts
made the ill-fated decision
to pull starter Rich Hill in
favor of struggling reliever
Ryan Madson, a move that
later illicit a critical tweet
from president Donald
Trump. Madson proceeded
to give up a three-rtm
homer to Boston pinch-
hitter Milch Moreland to
get the Sox right back in the
game. Boston would then
tie the contest in the top of
the eighth when journey-
man Steve Pearce went yard
off Dodgers' doser Kenley
Jansen. With L.A.'s bullpen
having hemorrhaged the
lead, Boston's powerful
lineup went for the kill,
scoring five runs in the
top of the ninth, includ-
ing a go-aheadRBI single
by Rafael Devers, to take
command of the contest
and the series. Although,
the Dodgers managed two
runs in the bottom of the
ninth, the Red Sox would
win the game 9-6 to take
a 3-1 series edge. The Fall
Classic would never make
it back to Boston as Sox
ace David Price completed
a redemptive postseason
with a 5-1 victory one night
later in Game 5 to close
out the Series. In manager
Alex Cora's first year at the
helm, the Red Sox franchise
captured its fourth World
Series title in 15 years as
Pearce was named Series
MVP.
2.) National Football
League Super Bowl HI
-- Philadelphia Eagles vs.
New England Patriots
(Feb. 4)
The superpower AFC
champion New England
Patriots entered Super
Bowl LII in search of the
franchise's third Super Bowl
title in four years and sixth
overall, which would tie the
Pittsburgh Steelers'aIl-time
record. But the Pats' op-
ponent, the NFC champion
Philadelphia Eagles, had
their own ideas and were
willing to re-write the
NFL playoff record books
to topple the defending
champs. Led by a second-
year head coach, Doug
Pederson, and a journey-
man backup quarterback,
Nick Foles, the Eagles were
trying to bring an end to
their own 57-year cham-
pionship drought, which
pre-dated the Super Bowl
era. In a game that featured
the most combined total
yards, 1,151, in NFL his-
tory, Foles matched Pats
legend Tom Brady throw
for throw over 60 heart-
stopping minutes. Among
the game's most memorable
plays came with 34 seconds
left before halftime when
Foles caught a one-yard
touchdown pass from tight
end Trey Burton in a play
that will be remembered
as "The Philly Special" to
put the Eagles up by 10 at
halftime. But Brady, who
threw for a playoff record
505 passing yards, fired
three second-half touch-
down passes to give New
England the lead for the
first time at 33-32 with 9:22
left in the fourth quarter.
With Philadelphia needing
a clutch final quarter drive,
Foles took the Eagles 75
yards on 14 plays, eating up
7:01 of clock before hook-
ing up with tight end Zach
Ertz on a go-ahead 11-yard
touchdown over the middle
with 2:21 to play. Clinging
to a five-point edge at 38-33
against the always resilient
Brady, Eagles' defensive end
Brandon Graham got the
game's lone sack, forcing a
fumble recovered by Philly
that set up a field goal with
1:05 to play. Trailing 41-33,
Brady heaved a despera-
tion Hail Mary into the end
zone on the final pla) but
the Eagles' defensive backs
batted the pass down to
finish offthe win. As Foles,
who threw for 373 yards
and three touchdowns,
collected his most unlikely
Super Bowl MVP trophy,
the victory set off a memo-
rable celebration on Philly's
Broad Street as the city en-
joyed only its second major
professional sports title in
the past three decades.
1.) College Football
Playoff Semifmals -- Geor-
gia Bulldogs vs. Okla-
homa Sooners (Jan. 1) &
College Football Playoff
National Championship
-- Georgia Bulldogs vs.
Alabama Crimson Tide
(lama. 8)
In their first-ever trip
to the College Football
Playoffs, the Georgia
Bulldogs endured over the
span of a week, the highest
of highs and the lowest of
lows in collegiate athletics.
The No. 3 seeded Bulldogs
made their first trip in 75
years to the revered Rose
Bowl in Pasadena, Calif
where they faced the high-
powered, second-seeded
Oklahoma Sooners and
their Heisman Trophy-
winning quarterback Baker
Mayfield. With thousands
of Georgians packing Rose
Bowl Stadium, the Bulldogs
fell behind by 17 late in
the second quarter before
mounting a thrilling come-
back. Georgia scored four
second-half touchdowns,
including a Nick Chubb
score with 55 seconds to
play in regulation, to tie the
game at 45-all and send the
contest to overtime. After
the two squads exchanged
field goals in the first over-
time, Georgia's Lorenzo
Carter blocked Oklahoma
kicker Austin Seibert's field
goal attempt in the second
OT, setting the stage for
UGKs dramatic win. Two
plays later, Georgia run-
ning back Sony Michel
ran down the left sideline
for a 27-yard score and a
54-48 victory, advancing
the Bulldogs to their first
national title contest in 35
years. The contest, which
was the first Rose Bowl ever
to go into overtime, set new
Rose Bowl records for most
combined points (102) and
largest comeback win (17
points). One week later, the
Bulldogs returned to their
homestate to face then" SEC
rival, the Alabama Crim-
son Tide, in the national
championship game at
Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz ,
Stadium. Taking a 13-0
halftime lead, the Bulldogs
appeared poised to break
through for the progr 's
first national title in 37
years, but a dynastic Bama
squad, playing in its fourth =
straight national champion-
ship game, would respond. ,
Legendary Tide coach Nick
Saban improbably benched -
starting quarterback Jalen 2
Hurts at halftime and ,-
g*
inserted true freshman Tua
Tagovailoa, who cut UGKs --
lead to seven at 20-13
midway through the fourth =
quarter. Then, with 3:49 to
play, Tagovailoascrambled =
around, eluding UGKs pass
rush, and connected with ;7
receiver Calvin Ridley for '*
a seven-yard touchdown ,
on 4th-and-goal. However,
Bama kicker Andy Pap-
panastos missed a 36-yard
field goal try at the end
of regulation, maintain-
ing a 20-all tie and forcing '
overtime. After UGA
Rodrigo Blankenship
booted a 51-yard field goal "'
to put Georgia ahead 23-20,
Tagovailoa saved his great-
est heroics for last, finding
receiver DeVonta Smith on
a go route on 2nd-and-26 .1
for a 41-yard walk-off score
and a 26-23 Tide win.'
Tagov;ailoa captured Of- '
fensive Player of the Game
honors, throwing for 166
yards and three TDs, as
Saban led Bama to its fifth
national championship in
nine seasons.
