Stock Dove ( Columba oenas )

Back home and back to as near normal as possible given the events of our last day on Solace.

Unusually we didn't need to prep the Lodge, as there had been nobody in last week and the cleaner had dealt with things while we were away.  Clickychick nipped out to the Lodge to put the welcome pack in place and add any finishing touches.

I hung around home doing jobs that needed doing as and when I gathered enough enthusiasm.  The blip is a shot of one of the two StockDoves which seem to have become regular visitors while we were away.

Stock Doves are one of the 5 species of pigeon regularly found in the UK.  They are however the only UK pigeon species that nest in cavities in trees.  Smaller than the well known Woodpigeon, it can be distinguished by the complete lack of white.  Woodpigeon squabs are sometimes mistaken for Stock Doves then it is the beak that separates them.  Young Woodpigeons don't have the look of a hard developed beak.