Shy Stock Dove

We have recently seen a Stock Dove in our garden but we had to read a lot of bird books before we were completely sure that it was a Stock Dove! These little pigeons are incredibly shy and secretive and it is very hard to get a decent picture through the window.

We managed to get a photo by slowly opening the window and sliding the Canon long lens out and hoping it didn't fly off! You can tell the difference between a Stock dove and a Woodpigeon by the white on the neck (Stock Doves lack this) and the size of the bird. Stock doves have large black eyes and Woodpigeons have yellow eyes with a black pupil.