Eurasian Collared-Dove - Reference Photos

[PhilA]

The above full skin is about 12 inches long. The Eurasian Collared-Dove is not native to North America and not protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Thus, its skins and feathers can be freely bought and sold. The buff-tan-dun feathers are soft and beautiful, and I use them as a substitute for dotterel or landrail.

A Dotterel Dun ala Skues:


That's the good news. The bad news is that the skins are fairly hard to find, even though several states have hunting seasons for the birds.

[PhilA]

my mind is on rooster hackle after talking with Dave R. several times today and again tonight. I am back in the must-have mode.

John,
Well in that case, you'll be needing some of Dave's cree rooster saddles and capes...

Man, some soft hackle hacker took out your hackle photos and replaced it with you using a Clark block.

[letumgo]

Thank you Phil, for posting the dove pictures. This is new to me. VERY nice looking skin.

[Theroe]

I like that-unlike other bird else, there appeared to be many usable feathers!
Thanks the post,
Dana

[tie2fish]

That's a lovely medium dun on that collared dove; those upper coverts are just begging for a short shanked sneck hook.

[letumgo]

Is that one of William Anderson's dubbing blocks and Rainbow wax (small white tube) lying next to it?

[PhilA]

John,
So a hacker switched photos in my post? Methinks I know who the hackled hacker might be. Look familiar?




Dana, yes ... a collared-dove skin contains lots of useful feathers, even in the small sizes that I use most often. Feathers on the nape of the neck and shoulders have a quite nice pinkish cast. The feather stems are fairly delicate, though, and a soft hand is needed when wrapping.

John, I own a couple of collared-dove skins. I think one came from Blue Ribbon Flies, and I probably bought the other on Ebay. Mourning Doves, which ARE protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, are more common than collared-doves, especially up 'nort 'here, eh. That was probably what you saw on the feeder. Collared-doves are larger than mourning doves, but the feathers are of similar colors.

Ray, that is indeed one of William's beautiful dubbing blocks. The tube of tying wax was made by Tom Waits, a nearby Wisconsin fly tyer. I really like Tom's home recipes, and he is very generous with the goods.

[daringduffer]

I don't know if you have wood pigeons on your continent. The well known author and fly tier Geoffrey Bucknall writes that he prefers that bird rather than heron for his Kite's Imperials. For body herl, not hackle. Secondaries. Coverts are fragile stuff, but utilized by some British lake/reservoir fishermen. George Barron is one of them.

dd

[REE04419]

The Collared Doves were/are a nuisance bird in WA State, forcing out the smaller, native, Mourning Dove. Our bird feeders were besieged by the critters when we lived in western WA. Haven't seen one here in Maine, thankfully. We do have a flock of about 20 Mourning Doves, plus close to a dozen wild turkeys and a couple of grouse that call our little slice of heaven home.

[PhilA]

I don't know if you have wood pigeons on your continent. The well known author and fly tier Geoffrey Bucknall writes that he prefers that bird rather than heron for his Kite's Imperials. For body herl, not hackle. Secondaries. Coverts are fragile stuff, but utilized by some British lake/reservoir fishermen. George Barron is one of them.
dd

dd,
Wood pigeons are not native to North America, but neither are collared-doves. To my knowledge however, wood pigeons were never introduced here, and I've not seen skins for sale. Collared-doves were introduced at the request of hunters, but as mentioned above, they have become a real nuisance in parts of the country. Looking at online photos and info about wood pigeons, they are considerably larger than collared-doves, but the feathers are interesting. So many birds ... so little time.