Stuart,

Mourning Doves here and elsewhere in Western Washington, I believe, are not
"feral" but are simply rather rare to uncommon PERMANENT RESIDENTS. I always
expect to find small flocks when I'm in the Stanwood area in winter, for
example, and it is not unusual to see the odd individual most anytime of
year near Auburn in King Co., etc.

Gene Hunn, Seattle.

At 08:12 PM 11/22/97 -0800, you wrote:
>Up at Sammish Flats today (Saturday 11/22) with Chris McInerny and Liz
>Stockwell.
>
>Near the junction of Best Rd and T Loop (near the farm with the
>ostriches) there was a farmhouse with 28 (yes, twenty eight) mourning
>doves in the trees. Given the time of year etc. this is a huge number of
>birds which immediately begs the question as to whether there is
>mourning doves are kept by anyone or whether there is a feral population
>?
>
>Anyone know ?
>
>Also seen:
>
>4 peregrines (1 juv. 3 ad males.)
>3-4 merlins
>2 American kestrels
>25,000 dunlin
>8 western sandpipers
>6-8 rough-legged hawks (1 dark phase)
>lots of red-tails (1+ harlans)
>lots of northern harriers
>2 bald eagles
>100+ black-bellied plovers
>
>Stuart MacKay, Seattle, WA.
>
>