Stock Dove question

[poschiavanus]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Crumbs.Never seen that amount. Most I've ever seen in one go was at Sevenoaks where there were around a dozen in a field. But for every Stock Dove, there's probably loads more wood pigeons? Why don't they investigate gardens like WP and CD's?

They do round here: we get Stock Doves in the garden fairly frequently, often as a pair. There is a good population on Lime trees a few hundred yards away. However, they are much flightier than Wood Pigeons so tend to stay for only short periods. I suspect that they might be dismissed as Ferals at first glance.

A few days ago I was lucky to notice one next to a Wood Pigeon at the top of one of our birches. In a tree the size difference is much more apparent.

[Deb London]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

I'd love to know the general area you see them around, Debs! I've only ever had a fleeting-glimpse of a juvenile in my local park. Never before, and despite much searching none since either. Collared's-a-plenty.

Fabulous birds, in my opinion.

I think they were first pointed out to me by Mr Lindo at Fryent Country Park, in the spring a few years back.

My first of this year was at Brent, in a tree.

I know Wanstead Park is teeming with them.

In some of the valleys and hillsides of North London they hang about with Woodies in the fields.

[aeshna5]

I see plenty of Stock Doves around me in the woods/meadows, while the Collared Doves tend to be near habitation, but not in central London. Stock Doves are quite numerous in the more wooded central parks such as Regents, Hyde + Kensington Gardens.

They seem to be more widespread these days around London.

[Janec]

We get a few in the garden but nowhere near the amount of wood pigeons and collared doves. I hear more than I see (I always think they sound like monkeys whooping) but I had one underneath the feeder yesterday which is rare.
We did have a pair of turtle doves but sadly haven't seen them for a couple of summers. Here's hoping for this year

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

I saw a lone Stock Dove yesterday. Lovely bird, in amongst Collared Doves.
My question is simple. Why don't we see them in the same densities as Collared Doves, Wood Pigeon and Feral Pigeons? I understand that they are a bird that are more common in certain areas in Britain but they seem sparse here in the SE and they don't appear that much removed from their relatives, but obviously there's something about them.

Similar to collared doves and turtle doves in many ways, taxonomically very similar, ecologically very different.

Stock doves are very much a niche species which thrive along woodland edge and woodland clearings containing old trees for nesting. This then has to be in close proximity to open habitats such as farmland and meadows in which they can feed, and with areas of water where they can drink (pigeons like to drink). Lower densities can live in other habitat types and can live in quite urban areas, even nesting in old buildings.

The population declined significantly in south east and eastern England during the 1950s and 1960s due to seed treatment, this had less effect on more generalist species like woodpigeon. Like all birds when the population retracts more optimum habitat becomes available as a result of decreased competition, this is then the first that re-establishment occurs in. Tidying up woodlands of standing deadwood then further reduced nesting opportunities.

So I guess the answer could be they are less adaptable and able to compete with their relatives, less adaptable and able to co-exist with humans, have historically been more dependent on their niche and on agricultural land with suitable trees due to their diet and nesting habits and it could also be liked to a lower breeding productivity in comparison to collared dove, woodpigeon and feral pigeon. They are however increasing and spreading rapidly so they may seen become widely re-established across most of Britain.