Last fall when I visited Salt Lake City, I saw my first-ever Eurasian Collared Dove. Then, randomly, this past spring, on a quick trip to Monhegan Island, I saw a wildly vagrant Eurasian Collared Dove (singing even).
Now that’ve moved to SLC, I see these handsome invasives nearly every day. Here, they’re more abundant than the native Mourning Dove—although the old world Rock Pigeons still outnumber both.
I’ve come to like the species quite a bit. They’re kind of neat and spiffy. Have dark-red eyes and a pleasant call. They’re survivors, for sure. And you can’t exactly fault ’em for their arrival in this foreign land.
Grandeur Peak Area List
Beginning at 9:45 a.m., I hiked a few hundred feet up the mountain.
1. Black-billed Magpie*
2. Northern Flicker (v)
3. Black-capped Chickadee*
4. House Finch*
5. Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay* (v)
Elsewhere
6. Lesser Goldfinch (v)
7. Eurasian Collared Dove
8. Song Sparrow
9. Yellow-rumped Warbler
v = Voice only
*Also elsewhere
Tags: black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, Eurasian collared dove, house finch, lesser goldfinch, northern flicker, song sparrow, Woodhouse’s scrub jay, yellow-rumped warbler
