Vocal Voices

I am sat at the computer with the office and kitchen doors open and out of the corner of my eye I caught a scene like leaves falling through sunlight - it is a bright day. When I went to look there are 14 to 18 collared doves in and out of the trees at the edge of the green, landing, pecking the ground, taking off, fluttering about.

It was hard to count them they were so mobile. What I do know is that I can't ever remember seeing so many of them congregated together in one large group. Fascinating!

they're such pretty birds - I used to have two pairs regularly sitting in the neighbours cherry tree, but the tree is now gone and the collared doves have been replaced with wood pigeons

I usually see them in pairs or two pairs a distance apart, but never so many.

We had a huge Oak tree felled during the summer and the area it once shaded is now open so there might be more shoots and seeds for them.

A pair of wood pigeons in the garden made us laugh this week. Despite a frozen bird-bath and a wind chill factor of minus whatever, the male was still hotly in pursuit of his lady-love, full-on rushing up behind her, dipping and bowing low to the ground and cooing - she, of course, was giving him the complete brush-off, only intent on chiselling ice off the bath!

That sounds about right Ossie