Eurasion Collared Dove

After we identified these guys, we read that some had been released in the Bahamas, some made it to the mainland, and have now been sighted as far away as Arkansas. Well, add Lawrenceville, GA to the list (if it wasn't there already... actually, the local Audubon Society told us they have been here for about 5 years).

These guys are noticeably bigger than the usual Mourning Doves, are a lighter shade of gray, and don't have the black spots. Instead, they have a black "collar" on the back of their necks. We caught this one in mid step.

We had noticed a different type of Dove "song" this year... don't know if it is because of these guys yet, but we are betting so.

And, the only albino bird we have seen so far was this guy. This was kind of unusual, since the Collared Doves generally run off any Mourning Doves that get too close to them

We have these guys in the "rare" category, but they have been here all summer, so we are guessing they are probably regulars now, and will move them to the "common seasonal" category.