Hi Tweets:
Today, Sat, Feb 26 we had a great RAS field trip led by Steve Johnson to Kent and Federal Way. A terrific highlight was on Frager Rd at the horse and llama ranch. Coming from the Fishing Hole on Frager, you pass under Kent-Des Moines road, and the ranch is just to the south of the underpass. We had heard that a large number of Eurasian Collared Doves (16 total) had been seen there recently, perched on the horse barn. When we arrived we didn't see the doves, but stopped to view Brewer's Blackbirds. We managed to see one EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE on the telephone line. Then more Eurasian Collared-Doves (EUC's) started flying across the road into a tree, and eventually down to trees and bushes across the river. Finally all the doves perched down in one tree w/ branched trunks. There were eleven birds visible down there. Someone mentioned that one of the doves was a lot whiter than the others. We got on it w/ the scope and confirmed it was a RINGED TURTLE-DOVE. It didn't look that much smaller than the EUC's, but it was much whiter, it's primaries were very pale, and it had white undertail coverts as opposed to the dark primaries and undertail coverts of the EUC's. This probable escapee looked very puffed-up and cold. It perched slightly away from the other doves, eventually working its way down the multiple trunks of the tree to near the bottom of the main trunk, and then disappeared. During this time when the doves had been flying, a MERLIN had flown past all the birds and it perched up on top of a tall conifer in the ranch's driveway.
When we saw the doves it was about 10:30am and the temp was still 23 degrees. Pretty darned cold. I'll send a report later about our great trip, where we went, and some of the birds we saw.
Yours, Carol Schulz
Des Moines