Northern Illinois Birder: Eurasian Collared Dove, Ventura California

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Eurasian Collared Dove, Ventura California - Western Birds

A Western Gull joins a party of other W. Gulls and Double-crested Cormorants on a marina dock, Ventura, CA; 6/17/2011.

Late afternoon, on June 17, Val and I drove to Ventura, California, to get ready for a boat trip to Santa Cruz Island the following morning. By the time we arrived in Ventura, and got settled, there wasn't much to do except stroll down the marina boardwalk. In that little stroll, we observed barn Swallows, American Crows, House Sparrows, Great Blue Herons, Brown Pelicans, Western Gulls, European Starlings, Double-crested Cormorants, and a Forster's Tern, as well as a New Lifer for me, a Eurasian Collared Dove (#306 on my Life List).

Soon a great Blue Heron and a Brown Pelican joined the party, Ventura, CA; 6/17/2011.

A Eurasian Collared Dove, Ventura, CA; 6/17/2011.

I was delighted and surprised to find a Eurasian Collered Dove (Above) so far out west. They ordinarily found in the Southeast/ Southcentral states of the U.S. stretching from Florida westward through texas and into New Mexico. According to Sibley's Field Guide to North American Birds, there is also a very tiny pocket in southern California where they are also found. I guess Ventura is in that pocket, and I am glad it contributed to my Life List. Up to this point, I have only seen mostly Mourning Doves (save a Ruddy Ground Dove in Mexico last winter), but as soon as I saw the Collared Dove, I knew it was different. It was light cream-colored all over with a dark neck ring on its nape.

Below are photos of other birds we saw on the ventura Marina...