Spotted Turtledove drops by

Spotted Turtledove in our garden

We have recorded over 100 species in our garden over the last 28 years. Of these, more than 40 could be regarded as resident breeding species.

One of the resident breeding birds is the introduced Spotted Turtledove. In some parts of urban Australia, this species is so common it is regarded as a pest species. In our garden, however, we only have a handful – perhaps 3 or 4 – at any one time.

They’ve been rather quiet over the last month or so; their incessant cooing can drive one to distraction if you are trying to concentrate, or have a headache. I haven’t searched the garden but they may well have been keeping quiet while they nested.

While having breakfast this morning this individual came to visit the bird bath just outside the sun room. This is a flighty, easily scared species, so it was good to get a close-up photo.

Some of the photos shown here on Trevor’s Birding can now be purchased on tee shirts, coffee mugs, stationary and a large range of other items. Go to Trevor’s Photos site here.