{"id":48396,"date":"2017-09-08T06:13:01","date_gmt":"2017-09-08T12:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=48396"},"modified":"2026-04-16T09:10:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T14:10:59","slug":"juvenile-mourning-dove-in-morning-light-in-southwestern-montana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/09\/08\/juvenile-mourning-dove-in-morning-light-in-southwestern-montana\/","title":{"rendered":"Juvenile Mourning Dove in Morning Light in Southwestern Montana"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"JuvenileJuvenile Mourning Dove in morning light – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1\/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Today the predicted south wind should clear some of the smoke out of the Salt Lake Valley and I hope that it does because not only has the air been unhealthy it is also quite ugly to look at.<\/p>\n

When I can’t get out to photograph sometimes I look through my old files to see what I was photographing in years past, two years ago today I was up in southwestern Montana photographing birds in the Beaverhead County<\/span><\/a> and these doves caught my eyes.<\/p>\n

The juvenile and out of focus adult Mourning Doves were perched on a lichen encrusted, slightly frosted fence rail near the road in the southern part of the Centennial Valley. As I recall the temps had dropped down pretty low overnight and the doves were probably warming up in the light of the rising sun.<\/p>\n

I don’t believe I have ever shared an image of a juvenile Mourning Dove before on my blog or my photo galleries. The young dove’s feathers look slightly “scaly” and that is how I can tell them apart from the adults.<\/p>\n

\"RedRed Rock Lakes NWR September sunset at the Lower Lake – Nikon D300, f10, 1\/50, ISO 400, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 18, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Two years ago today I was also enjoying the big skies of Montana, clear air and great views of Montana’s sunrises and sunsets.<\/p>\n

\"SmokySmoky haze over the Great Salt Lake and Wasatch Mountains – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 320, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 18, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a photo from yesterday morning taken from the causeway that goes out to Antelope Island, I was facing southeast when I took the image. Believe it or not this was an improvement from the day before.<\/p>\n

When I took this image if there hadn’t been smoke there would have been sweet golden light over the Great Salt Lake in the Wasatch Mountains in the distance.<\/p>\n

I really do hope the south wind clears the smoke out of the valley today, it will probably only be a temporary respite from the smoky haze but it sure would be nice to see the valley without it.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Mourning Dove photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The juvenile and out of focus adult Mourning Doves were perched on a lichen encrusted, slightly frosted fence rail near the road in the southern part of the Centennial Valley. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":146138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,1513,27,223,12,1189,26],"tags":[4004,4101,3763,3764,834,4067,4071,5178,3291,4378,4069,1190,4104,3993,4193,1191],"class_list":["post-48396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-beaverhead-county-montana","category-avian","category-centennial-valley","category-montana","category-mourning-doves","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-clouds","tag-dove","tag-doves","tag-fence-rail","tag-immature","tag-juvenile","tag-lake","tag-lichen","tag-morning","tag-mountains","tag-mourning-dove","tag-perched","tag-sunset","tag-young","tag-zenaida-macroura"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-4363.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-cAA","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":102008,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/05\/01\/mourning-doves-on-lichen-covered-rocks\/","url_meta":{"origin":48396,"position":0},"title":"Mourning Doves On Lichen Covered Rocks","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I had mere seconds to take this photo of a pair of Mourning Doves perched on lichen covered rocks on a desert cliff face in Box Elder County yesterday morning.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pair of Mourning Doves on lichen covered rocks, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/mourning-doves-wildflowers-lichen-mia-mcpherson-9790.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/mourning-doves-wildflowers-lichen-mia-mcpherson-9790.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/mourning-doves-wildflowers-lichen-mia-mcpherson-9790.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/mourning-doves-wildflowers-lichen-mia-mcpherson-9790.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39541,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/05\/16\/the-subdued-beauty-of-mourning-doves\/","url_meta":{"origin":48396,"position":1},"title":"The Subdued Beauty of Mourning Doves","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 16, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The subdued beauty of Mourning Doves is often overlooked especially if there are more colorful birds around but for me their beauty is undeniable.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Mourning Dove about to take flight in Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-lichen-adult-mia-mcpherson-8964.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-lichen-adult-mia-mcpherson-8964.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-lichen-adult-mia-mcpherson-8964.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-lichen-adult-mia-mcpherson-8964.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":123016,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/03\/07\/mourning-dove-calls-sounds-of-spring\/","url_meta":{"origin":48396,"position":2},"title":"Mourning Dove Calls – Sounds Of Spring","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"While I was sitting at my desk yesterday afternoon, when the sun was shining a bit, I heard one of the sounds of spring: Mourning Dove calls outside my window.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Mourning Dove on an old fence rail, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-old-fence-rail-mia-mcpherson-5123.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-old-fence-rail-mia-mcpherson-5123.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-old-fence-rail-mia-mcpherson-5123.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-old-fence-rail-mia-mcpherson-5123.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":91181,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/06\/28\/male-mourning-dove-in-the-wasatch-mountains\/","url_meta":{"origin":48396,"position":3},"title":"Male Mourning Dove in the Wasatch Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Just a simple photo of a male Mourning Dove perched on an old wooden fence rail high in the Wasatch Mountains this morning.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Mourning Dove in the Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-on-wooden-fence-mia-mcpherson-4694.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-on-wooden-fence-mia-mcpherson-4694.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-on-wooden-fence-mia-mcpherson-4694.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-on-wooden-fence-mia-mcpherson-4694.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26914,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/07\/26\/an-assortment-of-birds-from-bear-river-national-wildlife-refuge-this-week\/","url_meta":{"origin":48396,"position":4},"title":"An Assortment of Birds from Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge This Week","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 26, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday I posted a juvenile Wilson's Phalarope and today I am posting an assortment of others birds I photographed the same day at Bear River NWR.","rel":"","context":"In "American White Pelicans"","block_context":{"text":"American White Pelicans","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/pelicans\/white-pelicans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sandhill Crane right after the sunrise, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-adult-mia-mcpherson-7067.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-adult-mia-mcpherson-7067.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-adult-mia-mcpherson-7067.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-adult-mia-mcpherson-7067.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":68358,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/04\/14\/roadside-morning-dove-in-morning-light\/","url_meta":{"origin":48396,"position":5},"title":"Roadside Mourning Dove in Morning Light","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Mourning Doves aren't flashy but I think they are handsome birds and that their calls are hauntingly beautiful.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Perched Mourning Dove in morning light, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-barbed-wire-fence-mia-mcpherson-0292.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-barbed-wire-fence-mia-mcpherson-0292.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-barbed-wire-fence-mia-mcpherson-0292.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mourning-dove-barbed-wire-fence-mia-mcpherson-0292.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48396\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}