Sunday, October 14, 2012

Unusual rock dove


When I first saw this bird in my yard I thought it must be an escaped domestic dove as it was totally black but the back was light grey. It couldn't fly very well but was able to elude me by dashing under bushes. I hoped the dogs wouldn't find it before I did.

Two days later I again spotted it in my yard and this time had a long handled net available so was able to catch it. I was very surprised to find out the black color came from a coating of soot all over the bird except for its back. I knew it didn't come from my stove so apparently one of my neighbors found it in their wood stove, caught it and turned it loose.

A good scrubbing with Dawn dish soap and spending the night in my warm rodent house did wonders so this morning I took it out and released it again. I know I didn't get it all off but this bird was never the same color as the pigeons you see in the wild. The main color appears to be a dark black/brown with some grey mixed in. At any rate, the bird took off and was last seen heading for the horizon.

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