Collared Dove © Sue & Andy Tranter
Now that their great nomadic phase is over – and no-one knows what caused it – Collared Doves appear to be sedentary. Since 1980 the median distance of movement of Collared Doves from the national ringing database is only 1 km (Migration Atlas). Prior to that, the archives of Merseyside Ringing Group for the 1960s contain several examples of the species’ expansionary phase, with two Belgian-ringed birds caught here and three birds moving on to Ireland, although one that moved to north Germany, the only one on record, confused the picture. A bird ringed at Chester Zoo in 1980, found dead in 1982 in Strathclyde, 312 km north, was the last to exhibit long-distance movement.
Thus, it is no surprise to see from the Winter Atlas map that their winter distribution in the county is essentially the same as in the breeding season. They were present in 574 tetrads in both seasons, being found in 25 tetrads in winter where they were not reported in the breeding season, and absent in winter from 38 with breeding season presence. They can be rather more difficult to find, especially for surveyors visiting a tetrad, as they tend to be quiet and less obtrusive during the middle of winter, but by the end of our winter period most birds are displaying and starting to breed again.
Although all members of the pigeon family are gregarious, Collared Doves tend not to form large flocks as much as the other species, and the median size of the 537 counts was four birds. Where they do flock, it is usually on a copious source of grain. There were only five groups of 50 or more, with by far the largest flock being 180 birds in a farmyard at Aldford (SJ45J) on 8 January 2007, counted by Neil Friswell: this appears to have been the first three-figure winter gathering in the county since 1999 (CWBRs). Sixteen communal roosts were reported, up to 80 birds in size, mostly in farm buildings or leylandii trees or hedges.
There is no significant difference in the habitats recorded in winter from those used in the breeding season. There were slightly fewer woodland or scrub codes as the association with trees for breeding sites is relaxed, and a handful of birds on winter stubble, but they are seldom found far away from buildings and most birds find all their year-round needs within their breeding area or nearby.
Sponsored by Altrincham and District Natural History Society
