What is a good way to attract doves to one's patio?

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JonBailey
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What is a good way to attract doves to one's patio?

Post by JonBailey » Mon Jul 30, 2018 3:00 pm

Not to SHOOT, mind you, but to just bird watch? I see mourning doves perched around town on power lines when I ride my bicycle in the morning. I saw a lonesome dove this morning while biking along the Boise River and the bird was perched up on a wire and it was cooing. I live in Boise, ID. It's summer and mourning doves are around. I have a hummingbird feeder and that gets the little birds at my apartment back patio. The lady next door attracts squirrels by putting critter food on the ground and as small dish of water. Would a hanging flat tray bird feeder work under the eve of my patio to bring wild mourning doves in? How about a hanging bird water bottle as well? Is critter food, for squirrels and general wild songbirds, something doves fancy to eat? I hear doves cooing in the morning in my neighborhood but they don't come close to my apartment like the other birds do. There are telephone lines right on my street for birds and squirrels to perch on. I tried playing a recording of mourning dove plaintive calls on my patio for several mornings but they didn't come close.

Would a static decoy or two placed on the feeder bring doves to a patio feeder?
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mnaj_springer
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Re: What is a good way to attract doves to one's patio?

Post by mnaj_springer » Mon Jul 30, 2018 3:21 pm

My experience is they are attracted to corn fields, water, and grit for their gizzards.
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DougB
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Re: What is a good way to attract doves to one's patio?

Post by DougB » Mon Jul 30, 2018 5:00 pm

We used to get doves with just a bird feeder. The seed spilled by other birds kept the doves happy. We now get a banded dove, sold in pet stores and raised for food, that tend to drive away the smaller morning doves.
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JonBailey
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Re: What is a good way to attract doves to one's patio?

Post by JonBailey » Mon Jul 30, 2018 5:44 pm

DougB wrote:We used to get doves with just a bird feeder. The seed spilled by other birds kept the doves happy. We now get a banded dove, sold in pet stores and raised for food, that tend to drive away the smaller morning doves.

I might try hanging a flat bird feeder under my patio eve along the edge where my hummingbird feeder hangs. Maybe get a bird water bottle to hang nearby to boot. Doves like their feed and water handily close by to make crop milk to feed their young. I have seen videos where mourning doves will feed off the tops of wooden fences or flat tray feeders hung up off the ground. They won't strictly feed off the ground as they do in the hunting fields. The pigeons are "flying rats".
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JONOV
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Re: What is a good way to attract doves to one's patio?

Post by JONOV » Wed Aug 01, 2018 5:05 am

Sunflower seeds.

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Re: What is a good way to attract doves to one's patio?

Post by fishvik » Wed Aug 01, 2018 12:24 pm

Mixture of small grains in a flat open feeder. My guess is the mourning doves will be moved out by the collared doves in the neighborhood. No need for a hanging waterer. They will drink out of any water source on the ground.

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Featherfinder
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Re: What is a good way to attract doves to one's patio?

Post by Featherfinder » Fri Aug 10, 2018 6:29 am

We have a bird feeder that houses wild bird seed mix of which sunflower is the real attractor to doves, as JONOV already mentioned. I buy wild bird seed mix on sale. They can like it or....

Timewise65
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Re: What is a good way to attract doves to one's patio?

Post by Timewise65 » Fri Aug 10, 2018 7:42 am

In our area the State of Missouri prepares 100's of dove fields that are open to hunters on the start of the season. These fields are built by planting a very large variety of sun flowers, which in turn provide lots of seeds for dove. The state starts cutting strips of these sunflower seeds down, thus 'seeding the ground' about six weeks prior to opening day. They cut a few strips every week. This concentrates the birds, and you can bet, they will be their on opening day. If I were going to try and get the birds on my patio I would...…...

Put a few very large planters on your deck next Spring and put a sunflower seed/ plant in each planter, you would probably attract a lot of dove in the fall....especially if you 'shook' a few seeds out of the plants every morning, when ripened and dry, when you start seeing doves in the area.... :mrgreen:

Good luck

benniemix
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What is a good way to attract doves to ones patio

Post by benniemix » Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:36 am

I have the Sun Joe SPX3000 with the foam cannon from sun Joe. Has done pretty well for me.

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Sharon
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Re: What is a good way to attract doves to one's patio?

Post by Sharon » Thu Apr 25, 2019 1:11 pm

I think we have a language problem here.:) This is obviously available in Denmark, but never hear of it in Canada or USA. How does it work?
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oregon woodsmoke
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Re: What is a good way to attract doves to one's patio?

Post by oregon woodsmoke » Tue May 28, 2019 1:25 pm

I'd put out a large flattish bird bath with a wide rim and keep the water fresh. Doves come to water in the morning.

Other than that, they seem to like to sit on telephone wires.

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