I'm not losing any sleep about Eurasian collared-doves. I think they are
far less likely to threaten native Ohio birds than have been well-meant
introductions of *native* species by wildlife *experts*---like maxima
Canada geese and trumpeter swans, and others from across the pond like
mute swans and house sparrows.
        No doubt ECDs have spread across Europe, and North America from the
Bahamas to Alaska, but you hear very little in the way of complaints
from the human population, including birders. Other than little
irritations about dung and transmitting some diseases, rock pigeons
quietly occupied the continent over 300+ years without much demur. A lot
more people feed them than kvetch about them. If you remember shmoos,
they resemble them in some ways:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shmoo  .
        I have not encountered any widespread alarm--a least after they
occupied the territory--in Europe about them, now that they've occupied
the niche. The RSPB even has a project to protect them in Britain.  I
did a lot of research for an article for the Ohio Cardinal (Fall 2007)
about this seemingly blameless and gentle invader, and can send a copy
to folks interested. They, for reasons I explain, are not yet all over
the map in Ohio yet, but eventually will be.
        There are a lot more breeders from elsewhere to worry about than this
gentle attractive dove.
Bill Whan
Columbus




On 6/18/2012 12:17 PM, Bob Powell wrote:
> Larry Gara and I, previously frustrated by bad weather, managed to confirm
> the presence of Eurasian Collared Doves in Port William, Ohio, just short
> of the Greene county line.  The location given by John was accurate.
>   Across Main Street from the church is an area of small residences with
> tall shade trees, crisscrossed by little lanes.  We first heard the birds
> singing their distinctive "decaocto" song, a three syllable phrase repeated
> six times.  We also saw two birds gravelling in one of the lanes.  We
> clearly saw the lighter color (plenty of Mourning Doves around for
> comparison), the prominent black mark on the neck, and the squared-off
> tail.  These birds were scared off by a cat before we could think about
> getting a picture.  We figure that there were at least five birds around.
>
> I must confess that I view the spread of these birds to Ohio with a
> jaundiced eye.  They are very aggressive and are believed to have had
> negative impacts on other birds in Europe.  When I first went to Europe in
> 1962, I found them on the continent but not in Britain.  In 1977, when we
> moved to London, Eurasian Collared Doves were everywhere and were believed
> by many to be the most abundant columbid in the country.  They were widely
> blamed for decreasing numbers of Wood Pigeons, Stock Doves, and Turtle
> Doves.
>
> In South Florida, Eurasian Collared Doves were said to be the result of the
> release of a number of cage birds in the Bahamas in the 80s.  By the time I
> started working in the Everglades in 1995, they were everywhere.  South
> Florida is dove heaven.  It is not unusual to see five species of dove in a
> day.  As yet, there does not seem to be evidence of decreases in the
> populations of other doves.  This may be because there are no other
> streptopelia doves in the area, implying that it may occupy a niche between
> White-crowned Pigeon and Mourning Dove.  Nevertheless, Eurasian Collared
> Dove is a notoriously successful invasive species and its advent, given our
> experience with other invasive species, can hardly be reckoned to be a good
> thing.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Bob
>
>
> --
> Robert D Powell
> Congress Farm Research Institute
> Wilmington, OH, USA
> [log in to unmask]
> http://rdp1710.wordpress.com
>
> Nulla dies sine aves

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