Subject: [Tweeters] Eurasian Collared-Dove in Olympia
Date: Apr 11 16:40:00 2009
From: Valerie Anderson - valerie62266 at earthlink.net


Hi Tweets,
This morning we have a single Eurasian Collared Dove in our yard. At first we thought it was a mourning dove, but I soon realized it was a bit bigger, has the unmistakable "collar" and the flat, not pointed, tail.
I agree with many of the other Tweeters readers that this is a remarkable year for hummingbirds. We have a bunch of Rufous along with Annas, many of which over-wintered. The Goldfinches arrived last week, along with greater numbers of Golden-crowned sparrows and White-crowned sparrows. I am very fortunate to live in an area with a wonderful variety of birds, but the sad thing is that this is the first year, in at least the past 20 years, that the wood ducks have not returned to the little pond by my house. We have enjoyed the annual spring return of these great little ducks, who made a habit of coming to our feeders and always had their nest nearby. There is a wood duck house up, but they never used it...just the starlings. Last year, a large area nearby was cleared for a development, and I suspect that this tragic loss of habitat may be responsible for the absence of my wood ducks, and the Western Screech Owls I used to hear every year without fail...except this year.
Valerie Anderson
Olympia