11 Comments
Feb 25Liked by Charlie, from Birdsong Academy

I think of wood pigeons saying “My toe hurts, Betty. My toe hurts, Betty”, while collared doves also complain about their painful toes but are too polite to bother Betty with that information.

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I like that!

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Feb 25Liked by Charlie, from Birdsong Academy

Oh this is one of my favourite birdsongs.... so soothing!

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Isn't it just - I wonder if they hear it the same way?

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Feb 25Liked by Charlie, from Birdsong Academy

I hadn’t appreciated how easily a Collared Dove’s call can be confused with that of a Wood Pigeon. I’m good with my visual identification and knowledge of birds, but quite lacking when it comes to birdsong, so thanks for the clarification Charlie. That’s my ‘learn something new’ moment for the day.

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Glad to hear it Mark, thank you. I always learn something while writing them too - I hadn't realised they are established in the US, for example.

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Feb 25Liked by Charlie, from Birdsong Academy

The Collared Dove only arrived in the American Southwest within the past decade — it’s thought they came up from Mexico — so though their population is increasing, it’s still fun to see one. In some other parts of the U.S., they’ve been around a little longer. Here, it’s good to learn the differences you mentioned between a dove’s coo and a real cuckoo. Our yellow-billed cuckoo is in steep decline, so it’s meaningful to know when you’ve heard one.

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Mar 28Liked by Charlie, from Birdsong Academy

Ahh I always get this and the woodpigeon muddled up!

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Mar 5Liked by Charlie, from Birdsong Academy

Just had a trying time doing our household budget for the month and getting a bit low - this was such a tonic! So soothing and reminds me of lying in the garden with a book with that sound as backing vocals. Thank you!

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Feb 25Liked by Charlie, from Birdsong Academy

Isn’t it stunning that a dove’s call is such a strong and widely-shared memory of childhood? Mine was imprinted in Missouri, lying in bed at night at my grandparents’ summer lake cabin, stilled by a haunting coo that emerged from the darkness and deep silence of the woods. It settled into my very being. As an adult, I sat outside with a friend in the high desert of Northern Arizona, challenging ourselves to distinguish the calls of white-winged, mourning, and Eurasian collared doves. Later, during COVID lockdown, I learned to communicate with a pair of white-winged doves who grew accustomed to me as they went about busily, repeatedly breeding.

Speaking of universalities, I imagine the temptation to put music to the jacksnipe’s walk, or that of its cousin here across the pond, the American woodcock, is globally irresistible.

I get such pleasure from these weekly shrieks. As an American, I’m learning to put faces to the names of birds I’ve heretofore only encountered in literature. Thank you so much, Charlie!

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How wonderful - I know the Mourning Dove, but not, I think, the White-winged. So many birds to spend time with... And it's all about the universalities contrasting with the local flavours!

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