The Dove and Neot Kedumim

"The dove came back to him toward evening, and there in its bill was a plucked-off olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the waters had decreased from the earth" (Genesis 8:11).
Scholars have noted that ancient sailors, as in the Noah story, did in fact release doves and ravens from their ships. The seamen knew that the birds would always point to the nearest body of land by the direction of their flight. The dovecote at Neot Kedumim, built next to one of the olive groves, brings to life the story of Noah and the dove — the first of over 50 references to doves in the Bible. Why an olive branch and not that of some other tree (like the cedar)? The olive tree never grows very tall, and so a fresh branch would serve as an accurate indicator that the waters had receded enough for Noah and his family to step safely out of the ark.

Built of mud and straw like those of ancient times, Neot Kedumim’s dovecote was stocked with doves from a neighboring village. Unfortunately, the cruel realities of nature started to take their toll: martens climbed to the roof of the sukkah (in foreground) and from there, made the easy jump into the dovecote for a tasty snack.  Snakes snuck in for the eggs.  Hawks swooped down from the sky for the easy prey. The doves realized they were actually "sitting ducks" and took off for less luxurious but safer housing!