Re: [MDOsprey] 1997 Mystery Dove Photos Surface
Howard Youth (hmyouth@erols.com)
Fri, 06 Aug 1999 08:20:56 -0400
Gail,
Much belated thanks for your message. The consensus of opinion confirmed
my suspicions: The mystery bird appears to be a ringed turtle dove. Bill
Smith, who wrote the dove article for <italic>Am. Birds</italic> in 1987
checked out the pictures and also believes the bird's a ringed turtle
dove. It really helps that George Jett chased two ringed turtle doves in
Dunkirk about the same time! No one has ventured to say it might be an
ECD, and all evidence points to RTD.
So, thanks to you and other Ospreyers for your two cents--and to Fran for
posting the pictures!
Howard Youth
hmyouth@erols.com
Rockville, MD
At 02:29 PM 7/28/99 EDT, you wrote:
>Hi Howard -- I guess the first step would be to send the pictures to
the
>Records committee. If at all discernible, they could be sent to
experts
>outside the area for an opinion. The couple could also be contacted to
see
>if they recalled the bird's call, as the two species' calls are pretty
>different, even to relatively novice birdwatchers. For example, the
dove
>recently reported in Wheaton was said by its hosts to have a two-part,
>rolling call -- which is pretty good description of Ringed Turtle Dove
(but
>we are still waiting for the photos they also took of their visitor,
just in
>case...)
>
>Cheers, Gail Mackiernan
>