Monday Morning Beach Report

It's beautiful out there today.

The pure white doves were there. Just two. And one of them had a black stripe at the tip of the tail.  I've seen these birds before, but it's not an everyday thing.  

Did you know that pigeons and doves belong to the same family? We have all these negative connotations about pigeons, while doves are symbols of peace. White doves like these are called Release Doves, but they're really a type of rock pigeon.

Here's some Wikipedia stuff:

A release dove is a breed of Rock Dove (domestic pigeon) used for ceremonial release. Release doves are often used to commemorate important milestones of life and offerings of hope at weddings and birthdays and as representing the soul's final journey at funerals.^[1] They are also released at grand openings, sporting events, and many outdoor gatherings.^[2]

The preferred type of release doves are homing pigeons, a member of the rock dove species, and some strains are specifically bred for ceremonial release. White homing pigeons are preferable to ringneck doves (I've had a pair of ringneck doves visiting my patio for the past few months.) for ceremonial release because ringneck doves lack homing ability and may not survive in the wild.

Common wedding release ceremonies[edit]

• the "hand release" in which the bride and groom hold two doves which are then released together
• the "flurry" or "flock release" in which the bride and groom release two birds by hand or from a box and then a larger group of doves are released shortly afterward to join them in the sky.

Common memorial release ceremonies[edit]

• the "spirit" in which a single dove is released,
• the "trinity" in which three doves are released, followed by a single dove representing the soul of the deceased.
• the "12 dove" in which a single dove is first released, followed by twelve doves.

Anyhow, the day has been blessed by birds.