Mourning Dove. FWS Photo

As part of the nationwide Mourning Dove Call-Count Survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ted Koehler from the Ashland Fishery Resources Office surveyed Wisconsin Route #0060 in Ashland County.  The Mourning Dove Call-Count survey was designed specifically for the species and provides an annual index to population size.  The total number of doves heard on each route is used to determine trends in populations and provides the basis for determining an index to population size during the breeding season.  The resulting information on status and trends is used by wildlife administrators in setting annual hunting regulations.

The mourning dove is one of the most widely distributed and abundant migratory bird species in North America.  As part of their courtship behavior, mourning dove calling reaches a peak at sunrise and then diminishes gradually.  The survey is conducted along a twenty mile route, and all doves seen along the route as well as heard at stopping intervals were recorded.  The results were then entered into the national Mourning Dove Call-Count database.