Pretty young bird

[poledark]

Look much nicer when they are young.....

 

 

Den

[kendo]

nice pic great markings on its wings

[spangles]

is it a pidgeon? Dave

[Paul_D]

Turtle Dove?

[Emz]

Unusual colours

[Elton]

Does its dad own a brewery? (sorry, can't see pic)

[rabster]

Another great piccy Polesy.

 

We've got plenty of Collared Doves & Woodpigeons hereabouts, but I very rarely see a Turtle Dove.

 

Nice one.

[poledark]

I am pretty certain that it is a young Collared Dove. Our resident pair (well next doors really) produce these cracking little birds every year...they change in about 6 weeks.

 

What you can't see in my pic is that the "bars" on the collar are actually a very nice blue.

 

Well now, I am confused..just checked out my bird guide and according to that my pic is of a Turtle dove.

 

So why do these only appear about this time of the year and always in a group of three or four accompanied by a pair of collared doves??

 

I shall watch closely this year and try to get pics of them as their plumage changes.

 

 

Den

 

[ 03. June 2005, 09:53 PM: Message edited by: poledark ]

[Tony U]

Den,

The Turtle Dove is our only truly migratory Columbine it arrives in May and winters south of the Sahara; that is why you don't see them earlier.

It is heavily hunted on passage through the Mediterranean particularly France, which is why it is in decline.

Funny that the song: The Twelve Days of Christmas, offers two Turtle doves as a present when they are nowhere near Europe, never mind the UK

 

[ 04. June 2005, 01:20 AM: Message edited by: Tony U ]

[fatallove]

Can't see the pic either. Come to think of it I haven't seen any of the pics on the site any idea why?