BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 8, 2021
Climate matters. Mourning doves in Maine may try to raise up to three broods a year. In the southern U.S., with longer summers, they may attempt nesting up to six times annually. Eastern bluebirds in the south are apt to raise three broods. There are many nesting strategies to replenish the population of a species. Game birds frequently have bigger broods to make up for the losses to predators and hunters. Maine’s ruffed grouse can lay up to 14 eggs. Mallards lay almost as many. Wood ducks have been known to outdo both of them. ~ Bob Duchesne