Stock Dove

The days are beginning to merge into one gentle unfolding of spring. Usually this is a very stressful time of year, planning for fieldwork and field meetings, but this year everything has become simplified - back to the basics. I am enjoying this period of stillness and reflection, though I know that I'm very lucky that I live in a comfortable house with a large garden, and have most of my immediate family around me. I'm also lucky that our street has developed a new sense of community - I've met several people that I'd not previously spoken to (at an appropriate distance of course!).

My evening exercise walk took me to Thorpe Hall to search for dandelions. While I was there is saw five stock doves, which rather confirms my earlier suspicion that there are at least two breeding pairs. The parkland habitat, with its scatter of old oak trees, is ideal for them, and I know they visit nearby gardens to top up on seed.