29th May Stock Dove

The Little Owl Box I sighted in the woods on Woodland walk has a Stock Dove nesting in it with 2 young in it. This is the first one I have come across and will try and film the young fledging.

Stock doves are similar in plumage and size to rock doves/feral pigeons. They are largely blue-grey with an attractive iridescent bottle green band on the back of the neck. In flight they show black edges to the wing and two partial black bands near their back. Unlike rock doves/feral pigeons they do not have pale rumps. They are widely distributed in the UK, except for parts of northern Scotland and Ireland, with particularly high densities in the English Midlands and South West. Over half their European population is found in the UKstodo_tcm9-18467