Foam Lake Birding No. 107

FOAM LAKE BIRDING
No. 107
The deep freeze that hit most of the continent did not miss us. Temperatures have been abnormally low with several days of frost and with daytime highs in the single digits (Celsius). Throw a heavy fog into the mix and we have a recipe for disaster. Freeways were closed and by morning houses and palm trees were covered with ice. As the day progressed and temperatures rose ice falling off palm trees was a real concern. As a result birding has been slow to say the least. On the bright side, I have not had to shovel anything.
For birders one of the big differences between Foam Lake and Weslaco is that there are many more species of pigeons down south. Foam Lake has three species of pigeons; the Rock Pigeon, the Mourning Dove and the Eurasian Collared Dove. There are eight species of pigeons down here one of which (the Inca Dove) I covered in Article No. 72. In this article I will cover two doves – the Common and Ruddy Ground Doves.
The Common Ground Dove, as its name implies, is quite common across the southern US although its numbers have been decreasing in recent years. The Ruddy Ground Dove is very similar to the Common but, as its name implies, it is ruddier or redder especially the male. Both species are very small – about the size of buffed up House Sparrows. Because of its rarity, sighting a Ruddy in the US is a highly sought after prize for birders although it is very common farther south in Mexico.
Although both species can and do alight in trees they are most often seen in pairs or small flocks feeding on the ground (again, as their names imply). At close range or with binoculars the dark spots on both species’ wings can be seen easily and are very similar to the spots on the Mourning Dove’s wings. These spots help to distinguish the Ground Doves from the similar and very common Inca Dove which has no such spots. I have seen only one Ruddy Ground Dove in the US, but many Common Ground Doves and do not recall ever hearing one. Apparently both species make a soft two note call.
This week’s photos were taken several years apart; the Common Ground Dove was shot in Texas in 2006, the Ruddy Ground Dove was taken in Arizona in 2008. The Arizona shot is of wild birds in the great outdoors and is not staged in any way. The picture was taken at 4:00PM on a cold but sunny 10C day on a ranch on the Red Rock Indian Reservation. The eight Inca Doves and lone Ruddy Ground Dove (far left) were huddled together on the concrete base of a water pump facing west trying to stay warm. Cute! The picture is priceless. Enjoy.

John Senkiw

Foam Lake Birding No. 72

FOAM LAKE BIRDING
No. 72
We have spent four days on the road and are now in Weslaco, TX where the skies are clear and temperatures are in the upper 20sC. The trip down was a little tense in that we drove through the very tail end of one storm and just beat the blizzard that was coming down from Colorado. The weather changed very little from Foam Lake to the middle of Kansas where the fog, clouds, rain and snow showers finally disappeared and the skies cleared.
The birds, as expected, changed with the weather and climate. There were many Snow Buntings, ravens and magpies along the roadsides as was expected. However, there were a few exceptions. Just south of Jamestown, ND we saw about six or seven crows feeding along the roadsides and presumed they were a family unit that did not migrate. Another such exception was the presence of a flock of Horned Larks just south of the Moose Mountains. They usually do not show up in our area until the latter half of February. We also saw a Rough Legged Hawk which was not out of place, but still uncommon. From the snow line southward, there were many geese, ducks, Red Tailed Hawks, Kestrels and Turkey Vultures. When we spotted our first Inca Dove we knew we were in the deep south.
One nice thing about being in this area of the world is the number of wild pigeons/doves that are found here. The different species are: Mourning Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, White Winged Dove, Common Ground Dove, Ruddy Ground Dove (rare), White Tipped Dove, Band Tailed Pigeon, White Crowned Pigeon (rare), Red Billed Pigeon (rare) and this week’s featured bird – the Inca Dove.
The Inca Dove is a very common dove of the southern USA, ranging from California to the Gulf of Mexico. At first glance it simply looks like a Mourning Dove. In fact, I had seen many of them before I realized that what I was seeing was an Inca Dove and not a Mourning Dove. However, by paying a little more attention to details, I was able to tell the two apart quite easily. The Inca Dove is much smaller than a Mourning Dove, but in isolation this is of little value. (Where have you heard this before)? Its colouration is such that the bird appears to be covered in grey scales instead of feathers. This characteristic is quite pronounced and can be seen with the naked eye. When taking flight, the wings show a lot of reddish brown and produce a “dry rattle”. Both characteristics are diagnostic.
The Inca Dove’s vocalizations are noticeably different from all other birds and have an interesting story associated with them. When Europeans first arrived in the dry areas of the deep south, they experienced many hardships and dangers including hunger and thirst. During the pioneer’s struggles with the heat, the Inca Dove would be making its monotonous two note call that at times seemed to be taunting them. The bird seemed to be telling them there was “no hope” – a very apt description considering the pioneer’s plight. To this day many bird books describe the Inca Dove’s two note call as “no hope”.
If ever any birders go south, be on the lookout for the Inca Dove. It is a tame and trusting bird that loves to be around people and is common in streets and yards.