What the.....

Crossing the middle of the brick pit field this morning I looked up to see a Woodpigeon and better still a small dove flying towards me. Great, I still need Collared Dove for a year tick. Nice flicking to its flight, this bird was small and neat but wasn't really pale or long-tailed enough for a Collared. Gluing my bins on it just after it flew over it did a quick bank around the flats and turned to fly back. With the sun from behind me I clearly saw the brown/black flecked back with a light bluish outer crescent on the wing. Turtle Dove! Had to be - except it's January. It flew back over the middle of the flats heading towards Centre or Coronation copse but was now more or less in silhouette. I didn't get the tail pattern, don't think it fanned it's tail when banking.

I don't really have much choice but to claim it as a Turtle Dove. OK maybe Oriental not eliminated, but the light wing crescent went all the way across the wing. Could be an escape of some sort but don't think it was a Laughing Dove as black flecking quite clear? So, please look out for this bird, it could be hiding in a garden near by.