When:

Who:

Where:

County:

Location:

Exact Site:
Private lane on Gayman farm.

eBird Hotspot:

Details: (To view more text, grab the lower-right corner of a field to widen or lengthen the box)

For older records, view original documentation here.

How Many:

Age/Plumage/Sex:
Adult

Habitat:
Scrub woodlot adjacent to agricultural fields, both cultivated and grassland.

Distance from bird:
30 yards

Viewing Conditions:
Good - unobstructed in leafless tree

Optics Used:
Zeiss bins

Description:
Size close to Mourning Doves nearby, slightly bigger/bulkier look vs Mourning. My check list comments from first sighting 7/14/21: Property not accessible from public viewing places. I’ll be trying to relocate tomorrow. I parked on a farm that I have access to and was spraying my boots with repellent, and the dove flew up to a perch in a dead tree fifty feet away. In flight the large white patch on wings and large amount of white edging on tail stood out. The bird perched in the dead tree for at least twenty minutes. Bird was a uniform gray-brown. The bold white wing stripe while perched and short black horizontal mark where the face meets the neck were clear. The bird sang appropriate song one time. At one point a MODO perched in same tree for comparison. It flushed from the perch when a farm truck came down the lane. Bob Koontz relocated it in a scrubby area where it perched for maybe ten minutes. The square tail was apparent from this viewing angle. The bird flew and four of us did not relocate it. My check list comments from my second sighting 7/18: The bird was perched up in same trees that it was first seen in. White wings at rest seen clearly as well as the horizontal line where face meets neck. Confirmed by another birder with photos. My check list comments from my third sighting 7/20: Continuing sporadic sightings. Bird perched in same general location and white in wing and lateral line marking where face meets neck were obvious. Photo taken by another birder. Property is out of bounds since it is far off public access and after I checked with property owners they weren’t up for people searching inside their properties-too many concerns/complications. As of August 9 I have not had any sighting of this bird after July 20.

Behavior:
Seen in flight and perched in leafless trees. Also sang one time.

Separation from similar species:
Photos from two birders differentiate it from Mourning Dove, Eurasian-Collared Dove (population of in the county) and other less likely doves.

Discussion:
Note: The bird was not publicized outside of a few local birders (for verification of ID) due to a location with no public access and two different property owners not wanting birders interfering with their access to their properties.

How positive are you about the identification:
Yes, included photos by Gavin Anderson and Dave Ebbitt confirm ID.

References:

During the observation:
Sibley Guide app

After the observation:
Additional photos from birders

Media:

Photos and Drawings