Kathleen et al, First off, let me say I am not a big fan of Eurasian Collared-Doves and will admit (somewhat ashamedly) that I did make the pilgrimage to The Good News Barber Shop in Rocky Ford on 20 July 1996 to see these birds first verified in Colorado (at the time) by Tony Leukering in June of '96. I have since seen a photo of what certainly appears to be a Eurasian Collared-Dove on a wire near Walsh in 1992, taken by Janeal Thompson. But philosophically this discussion sort of reminds me of "problem deer", "problem mountain lion", "problem feedlot", and the "problem landfill near the newly constructed upscale housing development" discussions. In all these instances the wildlife or the problem human institution came before the objectors, OR the situation being objected to was created by or at least enhanced by the objectors. Humans imported Eurasian Collared-Doves to the West Indies from continents to the west, where they then apparently on their own jumped over to Florida and began to proliferate. Human land-use greated aided their spread in that these doves like the sorts of places that exist in cities and particularly in rural-urban interfaces. In part this is because of what they eat - plant seeds, including agricultural grains like wheat, milo, corn, weed seeds (many of them introduced by human endeavors), bird feeder fare like millet and other common offerings etc.. In my mind, even though they exist in many different habitat situations, they are the poster child for urban sprawl, climate change, drought, and other prominent social/meteorological issues of relevance to Colorado and much of the West. That their numbers have exploded should not be a surprise when we look back at where they are and what they like.
By the same token, because we are a large part of why collared-doves have become a nuisance in many settings, I personally believe it is morally justifiable for us to be part of the solution. Similarly, I thought it was ecologically correct for the agency I worked for during my career to find and eradicate the exotic gypsy moth, to prevent and warn folks about the potential for importation of the exotic emerald ash borer, and even to moderate the impacts of the native pine beetle made worse by human-demanded fire suppression. Others have commented on the legality of hunting doves in season and hopefully the final, correct version of this will be summarized on this list-serv. A while back I asked the question of this group which avian predators birders have observed to take advantage of the new item on the menu. Many of you responded and it looks like Cooper's Hawk, Great Horned Owl, and many other raptors prey on Eurasian Collared-Doves. Probably the relationships are still being sorted out and will be interesting to follow. It would seem the vulnerability and year-round availability of nestlings/fledglings would be this bird's Achilles' heal, but it appears their ability to reproduce outpaces checks and balances somewhat. This cannot continue indefinitely and at some point a balance will be struck. Maybe legal hunting can help. Maybe experimenting with feeder types and foods can help. Maybe minimizing agricultural practices that spill and/or waste grain can help. Maybe weed management can help. But my bet is they are here to stay because we are here to stay. Dave Leatherman Fort Collins --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Colorado County Birding: http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.as/group/cobirds?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
