An inquisitive young man, along with some of his friends, went to Lo Zu, and said,
“Every time that I look east, the birds fly east, and every time that I look west, the birds fly west;
every time that I look up the birds fly up,
and every time that I look down, the birds fly down. What does this mean?”
After a very long period of silence, Lo Zu, the great sage, finally answered,
“One must keep one’s mouth shut when inquiring within.”
They finally hatched! 🙂
Mourning Dove Fledglings… Photo by Thomas Peace c. 2018
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 
we apparently have similar tastes in images and wisdom literature
That’s awesome! Maybe similarities in age too! 🙂 This one is an original; i didn’t read it from any source. And i would appreciate a hit on the “Like” button if you like a posting of mine. 😉
Easy enough to click. Pushing 70 here
hahaha And great photo of the little chicks. 🙂
Thank you much, Scifi! Rain has finally arrived! Yeah! 🙂
G;lad to hear you have some rain too. 🙂
Lol.
Was it that he was testing the sage?
Nice on the mourning doves.
Maybe! 🙂 Mourning Doves are so sweet and laid-back! 🙂
Great photo – looking forward to progressive shots till they leave the nest! I’ll not worry too much which direction they fly …
Ha! 🙂 Actually, there will be no more photos of these any longer. I do not like to photograph them — if i already know their stage of development — once they get their vision well established, as being so close can even frighten them out of the nest.
My wife wouldn’t let me take pictures of chicks! lol
Ha! 🙂 Smart wife! You must be far too precious to her for any risks! 🙂
Great tale and sweet photo!
Thanks a bunch, Belinda! 🙂 Both are originals.
Sweet little ones!
Yes, Sandy! 🙂 I love Mourning Doves! They are peaceful and serene creatures! 🙂
Yes…they are regulars at our feeders.
We’ve got lots of young birds about but I haven’t seen any young Mourning Doves yet. There’s a young White-breasted Nuthatch calling as I type this. I just spent an hour getting eaten by mosquitoes trying for shots of the Nuthatches but didn’t get a thing.
Be careful regarding the mosquitoes! I don’t know if the West Nile Virus is in your area but it is something to think about! I worry about ticks and Lyme Disease when i am out photographing in the woods. We nature photographers take more risks than people realize!
West Nile has been reported around here as has Lyme Disease. I normally use insect repellent as I have a nasty reaction Black Fly bites but as the Black Flies are almost over I’ve got a bit lax in using it.
It’s also supposed to be a bad year for ticks but I’ve not had any. One of my favourite locations in Saskatchewan was so bad I used to stop counting after 20 ticks per visit.
OMG, 20 ticks per visit! I use DEET spray but it doesn’t always work! I bought lightweight fisherman’s waders that covers much but haven’t used them as yet.
Beautiful – peace and love in the neighborhood!
Yes, Linda; they are not perfect but many humans could learn a lot from Mourning Doves! 🙂
I love the way mourning doves waddle when they walk lol They always grace my patio. Wise words, oh sage one 😉
Good for you, leaving the birds now to grow. They certainly can be startled into danger. I suppose that’s one reason nest cams are increasingly used. Once the gear is in place, there’s no need to bother them any more.
I enjoyed the koan-like story, and of course the image. The mention of ticks reminded me of one difference between roaming the prairies here, and doing the same in Missouri and Kansas. Here, people warn about rattlesnakes. There, I constantly was being warned about the ticks. I got one, too — what a surprise. Luckily, it wasn’t well attached, and the bites’s faded now.
Very cool shot, Tom. I know there are baby doves somewhere nearby, but haven’t seen them.
Awwww…..I hope they thrive and fledge! 🙂
Awwww so cuteeee