Battelle Darby wetlands, Teal pond.-- Sat. 10/10, 7 - 10 a.m.

Around 8 a.m., we had superb views of a classic COMMON GROUND-DOVE , a
flyby, distinctive and its diagnostic features studied for about a
minute as it passed us southbound, while near the center of Teal.
Direct and straight in flight, with a wingspan scarcely longer than
its body lenght, it flew low above the tall rushes on the western
side, its red wing pattern flashed and flickered dramatically in
contrast to a pale gray body and mantle, the emerging sun behind us
affording perfect light.  Unfortunately, it passed and continued south
out of sight beyond the MP entrance.
A tiny distinctive dove (smaller and shorter than a bluebird) with a
fat and deep body and a relatively large head, a pinkish breast, and
unmarked back.  This combined with its distinctive wing and tail
shape, size and pattern render it a fairly easy identification.

Details will follow to committee; this is a species I've seen many
many times.  CGDO has a distinguished history of vagrancy (on the
Atlantic coast and in the Great Lakes Region), a clear pattern of
timing for which Oct. is peak.  In the past few years there appear to
be at least eight records around Erie and Upper Great Lakes (all 10/2
- 11/6 except one, Aug.):  MI, two (Tawas Pt., 11/2 - 30/10; Whitefish
Pt., Chipawa, 10/2 - 30/10), MN, 2 (Beaver Bay, 10/17/04 and Hyland
Lake Park Reserve, 10/19 - 20/10), ONT, 2 (Thunder Cape Bird
Observatory, Thunder Bay, 8/14/02;Long Point, Norfolk, 11/1/2008), PA
(Presque Isle, Erie, 10/19/85) and OH, 1 (Jaite, Cuyahoga, 11/6/99).


David Tan
Columbus
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