The other day, I was in the Seaview area with a little time for
bird-watching. I was heading south on one of the side streets in this
charming town, when I saw a flock of seven Eurasian Collared-Doves fly
over. As I slowly drove in the direction in which they had flown, I
noticed three others of the same species, perched on phone lines at the
intersection of Pacific Way and 33rd Ave. These fine animals allowed
several minutes for close inspection of the vital field marks (important to
verify, as two species of Streptopelia have been reported from the Long
Beach area within the last year; these were definitely S. decaocto, with
dark outer webs in the tail and gray undertail coverts). At this same
intersection there was a W. Scrub-Jay (a rather new arrival, from Outside
as some like to say here in the county), perched and calling loudly in a
Monkey Puzzle Tree. Well, there you have it, I thought: a trifecta of
aliens. I mused over the possibility that the flock of Eurasian Starlings
that I had seen just a few blocks away might fly over this intersection,
making an alien tetrafecta. But, this tantalizing vision was not to be
realized, as the three doves flew away.


Of course, I should have known: these were tree-de-fectas.





Alan Richards / Naselle WA 98638 / 360-484-7119