I love the sounds that the mourning doves make. I was shocked to see that there is a hunting season for them in some parts of Quebec. Which brings me to a question for you. I had mentioned previously that we were thinking of going to Cap Tourmente in May, but our friends think there might be hunting of snow geese going on then. On the govt website it seems to say that it will not be allowed anymore. Do you know if they are going to allow the hunt anymore?
According to the government website Snow Goose hunting in that area seems to be (I am. no expert, you may want to double check, is as follows (quote):
March 1 to May 31, the season is open only on farmland that is NOT within the following locations:
south of the St. Lawrence River and north of the road right-of-way of Route 132 between the western limit of the municipality of Montmagny and the eastern limit of the municipality of Cap- Saint-Ignace, other than in lots 4 598 472, 2 611 981 and 2 611 982 of the cadastre of Quebec (located in the municipality of Montmagny)
north of the St. Lawrence River and south of a line that is 1000 m north of Highway 40 between Montée St-Laurent and the Maskinongé River;
south of the St. Lawrence River and north of the railroad right-of-way located near Route 132 between the Nicolet River in the east and Lacerte Road in the west
Brillant breakdown on the Rock Dove/Pigeon distinction! The International Ornithologicla Congress framework clarifying wild vs domesticated forms based on selective breeding traits actually makes field ID way more practical than most taxonomy splits. I've noticed that alot of urban birders still default to calling everything a pigeon, missing that iridescence cue or the tail shape differences. Standardizing nomenclature this way helps bridge the gap between casual observers and serious field work.
Lovely picture of the Mourning Dove party! I've been surprised recently by seeing up to ten Collared Doves gathering in a garden, they're not normally a flocking species in my experience.
Probably more raptors here than in the UK - Mourning Doves are very fast flyers and when attacked there is greater chance of escape if they are gathered in numbers to confuse the enemy.
That makes sense! I suspect that my flock of Collared Doves gathers because of the large amount of food provided in the garden in question! I've never seen them flock anywhere else.
I love the sounds that the mourning doves make. I was shocked to see that there is a hunting season for them in some parts of Quebec. Which brings me to a question for you. I had mentioned previously that we were thinking of going to Cap Tourmente in May, but our friends think there might be hunting of snow geese going on then. On the govt website it seems to say that it will not be allowed anymore. Do you know if they are going to allow the hunt anymore?
According to the government website Snow Goose hunting in that area seems to be (I am. no expert, you may want to double check, is as follows (quote):
March 1 to May 31, the season is open only on farmland that is NOT within the following locations:
south of the St. Lawrence River and north of the road right-of-way of Route 132 between the western limit of the municipality of Montmagny and the eastern limit of the municipality of Cap- Saint-Ignace, other than in lots 4 598 472, 2 611 981 and 2 611 982 of the cadastre of Quebec (located in the municipality of Montmagny)
north of the St. Lawrence River and south of a line that is 1000 m north of Highway 40 between Montée St-Laurent and the Maskinongé River;
south of the St. Lawrence River and north of the railroad right-of-way located near Route 132 between the Nicolet River in the east and Lacerte Road in the west
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/migratory-game-bird-hunting/regulations-provincial-territorial-summaries/quebec.html
Thank you.
Thank you for the share here in such a beautiful, well written piece!
I guess ring necked doves are much more common where I have lived (Colorado). I cannot recall seeing mourning doves, although I may have
Brillant breakdown on the Rock Dove/Pigeon distinction! The International Ornithologicla Congress framework clarifying wild vs domesticated forms based on selective breeding traits actually makes field ID way more practical than most taxonomy splits. I've noticed that alot of urban birders still default to calling everything a pigeon, missing that iridescence cue or the tail shape differences. Standardizing nomenclature this way helps bridge the gap between casual observers and serious field work.
Lovely picture of the Mourning Dove party! I've been surprised recently by seeing up to ten Collared Doves gathering in a garden, they're not normally a flocking species in my experience.
Probably more raptors here than in the UK - Mourning Doves are very fast flyers and when attacked there is greater chance of escape if they are gathered in numbers to confuse the enemy.
That makes sense! I suspect that my flock of Collared Doves gathers because of the large amount of food provided in the garden in question! I've never seen them flock anywhere else.
Food too, of course.