Mourning Dove Numbers Explode on the Canadian Prairies

Mourning Dove numbers explode on the Canadian Prairies

Crow and Barn Swallow, whose numeri- cal increases are somewhat less well doc- umented (Houston 1977, Houston and Street 1959), the Mourning Dove obvi- ouslyincreased and flourishedwith human settlement. Corroborationis availablefrom adja- centMinnesota, also at the northernedge of its range: TheMourning Dove is oneof thefew birdsthat have [sic] increasedgreatly in numbersin recentyears. It was always commonbut it is now abundantand get- ting moreso each year. With theclearing andsettling of the northernforests it has appearedin manylocalities where it was formerlyabsent. Civilization suits it, as the food of the kind it wants becomes moreplentiful. Being of a tameand adap- tive nature, the settlementsof mankind and associated conditions attract rather than repel it. (Roberts1936) Hereafterthe evidencewill be present- edprovince by provincein orderof settlement. This specieshas flourished with the increase of human settlement. Manitoba

In 1882, 1883 and 1884, Ernest E. Thompson (later known as Ernest C. Stuart Houston 1858 (listing 129 species),failed to re- ThompsonSeton), during extensive trav- corda singleMourning Dove (Swainson elsthroughout Manitoba, sighted a single and Richardson 1832; Blakiston 1861- Mourning Dove on the north slope of 1863). John Macoun failed to observe Turtle Mountainin May 1882, listingit this speciesin his journeys acrossthe as a rare summer resident; William Hine crease in the numbers of Mourn- Canadianplains in 1872, 1879, 1880and at Winnipeg also describedit as rather T ingHERE DovesHASBEEN (ZenaidaADRAMATIC macroura)iN- 1881, and it was absent from his first rare. On June 7, 1885, C. W. Nash at on fiae Canadian Prairies during this publishedlist of 235 bird species(Ma- Portagela Prairiefound what is believed century. coun 1883). to be Manitoba's first recorded nest of Prior to setfiement, the Mourning While suchfailure to recorda species thisspecies with two eggs.Nash ranked it Dove was absent or extremely rare doesnot prove its absenceand while a as "tolerably common . . . breedingin throughoutwhat were then the Canadian few individualdoves certainly were over- small wild plum trees" (Thompson North West Territories. After white men looked among the then-numerousPas- 1891). When Setonreturned to Manitoba hadestablished fur-trading posts, careful sengerPigeons (Houston 1972), nonethe- in 1892, he found a strikingchange: on pre-setfiementstudies at Fort Carltonand less historical evidence from Manitoba, the Big Plain north of Carberry, where CumberlandHouse by John Richardson Saskatchewanand Alberta consistently doveshad previouslybeen absent, "they and Thomas Drummond in the 1820s supportsthe hypothesisthat the Mourn- abound... wherever there are trees and (listing 173 species), and at Carlton ing Dove advancedand increasedas the water. Three or four pairs seem to be House by Thomas Blakiston in 1857- area became settled. Like the American semi-domesticatedabout each barnyard

52 AmericanBirds, Spring 1986 thataffords the above requisites, and they sell T Congdon in 1902 (Coubeaux uncommonat Camrose,although "more appearto be spreadingfarther each year, 1900, 1902, Congdon1903). Mourning plentifulnow than in formeryears. Two and greatly increasing in numbers" Doveswere still rare at the Quill Lakes in pairsare known to have nestedon the (Thompson1893). 1909,with only fourobservations in two southside of Dried Meat Lake duringthe Norman Criddle reported that the months(Ferry 1910) and alsoat David- pastfew summers"(Farley 1932). Tav- Mourning Dove became common at sonin 1932, whenthe CarnegieMuseum erner, in his traverseof the prairies an Aweme,southeast of Brandon,only after collectingexpedition had only four sight- 1920, saw only three near Many Island about 1900 (Macoun 1909). George At- ingsin ten weeks(Todd 1947). Lake, whereasin the samearea in 1945, kinsonof Portagela Prairiecontinned, in At Evesham,in west-centralSaskatch- Austin L. Rand and Howard Clemens 1908, that the dove was "Increasing in ewan, William G. Neave reportednone foundthem fairly common(Rand 1948) numbers in Manitoba and the west with in 1921-1922(Houston 1981). Mourning theIncrease of settlement.Very abundant Doves were still novel and considered Discussion alongthe Assiniboine River, andin 1906 worthyof publicationin 1931 when S. notedregularly and in considerablenum- Humphrysaw a pair in the ManitouFor- All availableevidence points to a ma- bers as far west as Yorkton, Saskatch- est Reserve near the hamlet of Winter, jor increasein the populationof Mourn- ewan, but not beyondthat point" (Ma- August20, 1931 (Humphry 1932) and ing Doves with settlementin southern coun 1909). Paul F. Bruggemansaw one 20 miles Manitoba, Saskatchewan,and Alberta northand four miles east of Lloydminster In Manitoba, they first becamecommon July 3, 1931 (Bruggeman1933). Each in theAssiniboine and Red River valleys, Saskatchewan was said to be a first for the local area. and on Turtle Mountain. In Saskatch- On the southernedge of the mixedfor- ewan, the first sightingswere from the The firstrecorded Saskatchewan sight- est, Mourning Doves moved north as Qu'AppelleRiver valley and from the •ngof theMourning Dove was apparently fieldsreplaced aspen and coniferousfor- CypressHills. The woodedoases were that of George F. Guernsey at Fort est. Near Meadow Lake in 1948, W. Earl thechosen strips of woodlandin the val- Qu'Appellein 1880-1885,who listedit Godfreyrecorded three sightings of sev- leysand the woodedhigher elevations as "Common summer resident; breeds; en individuals,the most northerly of Onecan speculate that the almostan- arrivesMay 12" (Thompson1891). Wil- theseat Dorintosh(Godfrey 1950). At nual grasslandrites and the trampling ham Spreadborough,collecting for Ma- Carlton in 1939, Mowat made 74 sight- herdsof thunderingbison may havebeen coun at Indian Head throughoutApril, ings(Houston and Street 1959), but at a greatdiscouragement to ground nesting May and June 1892, saw only "a few Emma Lake that year he made only a doveson the openplains before settle- stragglers,males" (Macoun 1909). By single sighting (Mowat 1947). At ment. A more attractive and safer enm- 1903, 20 yearsafter the adventof the Nipawin,Maurice G. Streetreported that ronmentfor nestingquickly followed the railroadthere, George Lang's annual mi- MourningDoves were rare until about planting of treed shelterbelts,which grationreports noted it as commonand 1935. Then, as the mixed forest was sometimesincluded the evergreenspre- breeding(Lang and Harvey 1903). The clearedfor fanningand as peat bogs were ferredby doves.Eventually natural aspen MourningDove wasthe ninthmost com- burned,their numbersshowed a greater "bluffs"grew to maturityafter graded mon speciesbanded by GeorgeLang be- increasethan any other bird exceptthe roadsserved as fireguardsand allowed tween 1923 and 1939, with 168 birds BarnSwallow (Hirundo rustica) (Priestly eliminationof the prairie fires that pre- banded(Houston 1945). 1944). At High Hill, north of Kelving- viouslyhad spread for hundredsof miles At MapleCreek and the northedge of ton, a letter from Steve Waycheshento almostannually. It is of interestthat the CypressHills in 1905 and 1906, A. Blue Jay editor Cliff Shaw June 29, WesternKingbirds (Tyrranus verticalis), C Bent found it "Very commonin the 1946, remarked that Mourning Doves spreadacross the prairiesas the aspen timberalong the creeks where it breeds," "seem to have shown more of an increase reacheda height of 20 feet (Houston w•th three nestingrecords in 1905 and than any other species." 1979),while the Red-tailedHawk (Buteo two In 1906 (Bent 1907). On the other jamaicensis),largely supplanted the Fer- sideof theCypress Hills at Eastend,Pot- Alberta ruginousand Swainson'shawks about ter (1930) foundthat it "increasedvery two decadeslater (Houstonand Bechard noticeably"between 1920 and 1930. WilliamSpreadborough, collecting for 1983). R P. Rookenoted the MourningDove John Macoun, took Alberta's first Finally,chiefly in the 1930s,a second onlyon rare occasions in the 1890ssouth MourningDove specimensin the South wave of settlerslocated in aspen and of Calder, but it showeda "considerable SaskatchewanRiver valley at Medicine mixedaspen and coniferouswoodlands Increase"throughout the Yorkton area Hat in May 1894 (Macoun 1909). In northof the openplains. The clearings between1925 and 1944 (Houston 1949). 1914, the Mourning Dove was "very theymade in theforest became attractive At Sheho,the Nivens saw none in their rare" at Alix and Buffalo Lake, with a to MourningDoves just as grassland wath first 10years, until William Niven noted singlespecimen taken at Buffalo Lake trees and shrubs had earlier been more his first sightingMay 30, 1920; there November9, 1914 (Horsbrugh1915). attractivethan open prairie. In either were a few at first but they steadilyin- Horsbrughsaw none at Red Deer in 1916 habitatchange, the adventof agriculture creasedin numbersover the years(Niven (Horsbrugh1918), althoughin 1917, P. withplentiful grain and many weed seeds 1973) A. Tavernerrecorded five duringhis trip offered a stable food supply for the Nonewere reported at PrinceAlbert by down the Red Deer River (Taverner doves,as explained 50 yearsago by T. S EugeneCoubeaux in 1895-1902 or at 1919). Roberts(1936). Presumablyother man- Klnlstino-BasinLake-Wakaw, by Rus- By 1932,the Mourning Dove was still madechanges such as creationof small

Volume 40, Number 1 53 water supphesfor hvestock,spdlage of LITERATURE CITED __ 1979 The spreadof the WesternKing- grain from farm vehiclesand erectionof birdacross the prairies.Blue Jay 37 149- telephoneand later of power lines for 157. perching,have also been beneficial to the ALLEN, J. A. 1874ß Notes on the natural ß 1981. William G. Neave (1874-1924), Evesham Saskatchewan's nature corre- dove. historyof portionsof Dakotaand Montana Territories,being the substanceof a report spondent.Blue Jay 39: 83-90. Whatever the reasonsfor the increase, to the Secretaryof War on the collections __ and M. J. BECHARD. 1983. Trees and theMourning Dove is now one of the 25 madeby theNorth Pacific Railroad Expe- the Red-galled Hawk in southern Saskatch- mostcommon species on what were pre- dition of 1873. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. ewan. Blue Jay 41: 99-109ß mouslyopen plains of thesouthern prai- Hist. 17: 33-86. and Mß G. STREET. 1959. The Birds of rie provinces.In 1980the weightedmean BENT, A. C. 1907. Summer birds of south- the SaskatchewanRiver, Carlton to Cum- numberof MourningDoves on 25 Breed- western Saskatchewan. Auk 24: 407-430. berland. Regina: Sask. Nat. Hist. Soc , •ng Bird Survey routeson the southern BLAKISTON, T. 1861-1863. On birds col- Publ. #2, 205 pp. prairieswas 18.96, making it the 15th lected and observed in the interior of Brit- HUMPHRY, Sß 1932. Mourning Doves most commonspecies that year (Silieff ishNorth America. Ibis 3:314-320, Ibis 4: Can. Field-Nat. 46: 68. LANG, G. and Gß C. HARVEY. 1903 Bird andFinney 1981). Althoughregular and 3-10, Ibis 5:39-87 and 121-155. BRUGGEMAN, Pß F. 1933. Mourning migrationnotes In: AnnualReport, Dept commonin the aspenparkland farther Doves. Canadian Field-Naturalist 48: 75. of Agriculture,North-West Territories, p north,the MourningDove still doesnot CONGDON, Rß Tß 1903. Saskatchewan 204. rank within the top 40 speciesthere. birds. Trans. Wisconsin Acad. 14: 569- MACOUN, J. 1883. Manitobaand the Great A final word of caution: the conclusion 620ß North-west. Thomas C. Jack, London so consistentlyevident in Canadadoes COUBEAUX, Eß 1900. Contributionsto the MOWAT, F. Mß 1947. Notes on the birds of not hold true for North Dakota. Maximil- naturalhistory of the noahwestterritories. Emma Lake, Saskatchewan.Can. Fteld- ian, Prince of Wied, found Mourning Ottawa Nat. 14: 24-31. Nat. 61: 105-115. Doves at Fort Union on the Missouri Riv- ß 1902. Contributions to the natural histo- NIVEN, W. 1973.The land,the birds through er (southwestof thepresent site of Willis- ry of the N.W.T. OttawaNat. 16: 44-45. 50 yearsin aspenparkland. Blue Jay 31 223-229ß ton) in 1833. Joel Asaph Allen found COUES, E. 1878. Field-Notes on Birds ob- servedin Dakota and Montanaalong the POTTER, L. B. 1930. Bird-lifechanges in 25 MourningDoves "abundant" everywhere forty-ninthparallel during the seasonsof yearsin southwesternSaskatchewan. Can alongthe Missouriand Yellowstoneriv- 1873 and 1874. Bull. U.S. Geol. and FieM-Nat. 44: 147-149. ers in 1873 (Allen 1874). GeorgeBird Geog.Survey Terr., IV No. 3, pp. 545- PRIESTLY,I. M. 1944.Information please Grinnell found them abundant about Fort 661. Blue Jay 3: 9. Lincoln (near presentMandan) "and on FARLEY, F. L. 1932. Birds of the Battle RAND, A. L. 1948. Birds of SouthernAlber- theplains, and their nests were frequently River Regionof CentralAlberta. Institute ga.Nat. Mus. of Can. Bull. 111: 105pp foundß . ßalways on theground" (Grin- of AppliedArt, Edmonton,85 pp. SILIEFF, E. and G. H. FINNEY. 1981 The nell 1875). The surveysof Elliott Coues GODFREY,Wß Eß 1950. Birds of theCypress CooperativeBreeding Bird Survey in Can- just south of the Canadian boundary Hills andFlotten Lake Regions, Saskatch- ada, 1980. Can. Wildl. Ser. Progress foundthe Mourning Dove commonat ewan. Ottawa:National Museumof Can- Notes# 122. 16 pp. ada Bull. 120:96 ppß SWAINSON, W. and J. RICHARDSON Pembina(on the Red River southof Win- HORSBRUGH, C. B. 1918. Further notes on 1832. Fauna Boreali-Americana, Vol 2 mpeg)in June1873, andin 1874he again birdsobserved at Alix, Buffalo Lake, and The Birds.London: John Murray. 501 pp observedit on the UpperMissouri (Coues Red Deer in the Provinceof Alberta, Can- TAVERNER, P. A. 1919. The birds of the 1878). With those sorts of evidence, it ada,in 1915and 1916.Ibis, 10thseries, 6: Red Deer River, Alberta. Auk 36:12-21 would be reasonable to infer that the 477-496. and 248-265. MourningDove probablybred in small ß 1915. Ornithologicalnotes from the THOMPSON [SETON], E. E. 1891 The numbersin at least some of the valleys Alix and Buffalo Lake districts, Province Birds of Manitoba. Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus northof the 49th paralleleven beforethe of Alberta, Canada, 1914. Ibis, 10th se- 13: 457-643. first settlers arrived. ties, 3:670-689 THWAITES, R. G. (ed.). 1905. Early West- HOUSTON, Cß Sß 1945. SaskatchewanBird ern Travels, Vols. 22 and 23. Travels m Banders.#3. George Lang of Indian the Interiorof North America, by Maxi- Head. Blue Jay 3: 28. milian, Prince of Wied. Cleveland: A H ß 1949. The birds of the Yorkton district, Clark. Saskatchewan. Can. Field-Nat. 63: 215- TODD, W. E. C. 1947. Notes on the birds of ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 241. southernSaskatchewan. Ann. Carnegte ß 1972. The PassengerPigeon in Sas- Mus. 30: 383-421. I wish to thank Henry M. Reeves, katchewan.Blue Jay 30: 77-83. Marc J. Bechardand J. BernardGollop ß1977. Changing patterns of Corvidaeon --863 UniversityDrive, Saskatoon, for critical comments. theprairies. Blue Jay 35: 149-156. Saskatchewan, Canada S7N OJ8

54 AmericanBirds, Spnng 1986