Stock Dove flypast

I remember the shock of finding out that Stock Doves exist. I know what a Feral Pigeon is:

Pigeons

I know what a Woodpigeon is:

Wood Pigeons and Tunnicliffe’s Brooke Bond Bird Portraits

I know what a Collared Dove is:

Collared

I’ve even seen a Turtle Dove:

A Turtle Dove purring like a cat

But a Stock Dove?

Stock Dove

I didn’t even know what one was until a couple of years ago. Then I realised there’s no such thing as a small Woodpigeon. If you see what you think is a small Woodpigeon, it’s a Stock Dove, especially when it lacks a white collar and white wing bars.

When I saw one flying past, over the River Otter, I just had to get a photograph. Beautiful, aren’t they?

I captured a sequence as it flew and noticed that the iridescence around its neck changed colour with the angle of reflection: (do click on the image to enlarge it)

It’s gone from pink to green. What a beautiful, subtle bird. I’ll definitely know what they are from now on. Will you?