Friday, June 13, 2014 Eurasian Collared Dove in Seward

A EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE was identified yesterday evening at a feeder in a neighborhood west of Safeway in Seward. The report caused quite a stir as records in Southcentral, and the Kenai Peninsula, are few. This is the first sighting documented for Seward.

The neighbor, whose feeder has been attracting PINE SISKINS, FOX SPARROWS, PINE GROSBEAKS, and a red squirrel, had been trying hard to scare off the "pigeon" for the past week to 10 days. (!) Our pigeons do come in various colors and patterns, so this is just another case of looking closer and recognizing the difference.

Now, instead of shooing it away, he bought special chopped fruit birdseed mix, which it really likes, to keep it around.

The dove is very wary and skilled at disappearing into the nearby dense spruce boughs. Neighborhood security guards, aka BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES, are quick to chase and harass the newcomer. They have good judgment: in the 1970s this species escaped from a pet store in the Bahamas and were set free from the island of Guadeloupe, spread to Florida a decade later, and subsequently have moved across the continental US and north to Alaska.

There is a lot of information on the spread of this species across the US as well as many delicious-sounding recipes.

Happy Birding!

Carol Griswold

Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter