Medium camo'd mayo jar in a potentially high muggle area. No need to trample any greenery or damage cedars... If you look in the right spot you should see it easily! There is some room for trade-ables, and a $5 Tim Hortons gift card for the FTF.
*******CONGRATS to Markus-the-thief on his first FTF!*******
(This write up is better in Web view)
If you take something, please leave something! Please put back in the exact the same spot, as hidden as possible!
Cloverdale has some pretty amazing birds trying to live their lives in an increasingly urban area. This series will highlight some of them.
The Eurasian Collared Dove
During the 20th century, this beautiful pale dove expanded its range spectacularly from the Middle East all the way across Europe. Rumor has it a pet store in the Bahamas was burgled in the 1970's resulting in the release of 80 pairs into the wild. They soon spread to Florida and beyond. Its expansion westward and northward from there since the 1980s has been remarkable, and the species is now common to abundant across much of North America, as far northwest as Washington and British Columbia. According to Cornell's David Bonter, "There has been no other bird that has conquered North America faster than the Eurasian Collared Dove." No obvious negative impacts have been noted so far.
Except for nesting season, these cuddly birds can often be found in pairs close to a back yard food source. In rural settings they can be found in larger flocks near waste grain. They prefer millet and other grains but will also eat berries and insects. Their soothing voice is often mistaken for an owl... a deep, repeated kuk-kooooo-kuk, accented on the middle syllable.
Bonter also states "They're a bird that really does well in human-modified landscapes, and we've done a good job of making the world friendly to Eurasian Collared Doves," he said. "There's no doubt in my mind that they will continue to expand and will become one of the most common birds at backyard bird feeders."
Information and photo courtesy of The Corvallis Gazette Times and All About Birds.