New Neighbours

We have two quiet noisy newcomers to the area at present and it looks like they have set up home here. The collared dove, one of the most successful birds in the world has taken up residence. First we had one bird who´s favourite spot was on top of a post at the far end of our back garden. My they do like to coo coo! I can here one now even as I type. After spending a considerable amount of the day calling from its chosen lookout it was joined by another bird, its new mate we presume. We fully expect to hear a multitude of cooing before the summer is out.
The collared dove has spread its wings through Europe and beyond since it was recorded in Hungary in the 1930s. This amazing example of the rapid expansion of a species saw them colonise most of the UK by the end of the 1960s,we had many in all our UK gardens. They are now wide spread in Spain and you will see them in pairs, like ours, or small flocks.
It is 34 cm (13 inches) in size. Its plumage is predominantly pale brown. There is a black stripe on the neck that looks like a collar. The belly is whitish. On the tip of the wins there is a white stripe. Its amazing this bird has done so well as it normally only lays two eggs. One things for sure it will find plenty of food to its liking around here, it likes to feed on seeds and plants. We just hope our herbaceous border does not prove to tempting.