# White doves, disappeared



## SueBoyle (Aug 29, 2013)

I have a dovecote and have had two pairs of white doves since last September. They have fed well throughout the winter but disappeared overnight a week or so ago. Sometimes they've not been there at feeding time in the morning but appeared shortly after when called. They were nesting, but disappearing last week nobody has seen them. Any ideas?


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

Sparrowhawk ?


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## Cicindela (Nov 28, 2014)

My neighbour has some- she loses one or two all the time- cats and mainly sparrowhawks! even a rat once, It's usual to see a patch of white feathers around.


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## el Snappo (Mar 4, 2017)

How was this dovecote positioned, Sue? On a pole? Or atop some other, flatter surface?

And they _both_ vanished, during a night? Yeah?

Nesting? Were they brooding eggs, at the time? What happened to the eggs?


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## SueBoyle (Aug 29, 2013)

Cicindela said:


> My neighbour has some- she loses one or two all the time- cats and mainly sparrowhawks! even a rat once, It's usual to see a patch of white feathers around.


No feathers and had it been one or two, would have suspected that, but allfour overnight seemed odd ***129300;


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## SueBoyle (Aug 29, 2013)

el Snappo said:


> How was this dovecote positioned, Sue? On a pole? Or atop some other, flatter surface?
> 
> And they _both_ vanished, during a night? Yeah?
> 
> Nesting? Were they brooding eggs, at the time? What happened to the eggs?


The dovecote is on a tall pole, but they seemed to prefer the nest boxes on my pergola and high up a conifer tree. They were nest building and displaying. I only checked for eggs after they were gone but there was nothing. There were four doves.


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## SueBoyle (Aug 29, 2013)

colinm said:


> Sparrowhawk ?


All four, in one go?


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## el Snappo (Mar 4, 2017)

So ..... Just to keep the record straight; Have ye any, real idea of where they would have been taken _from_, Sue? Up the conifer. Or on the, relatively low, pergola?

No real matter; Four doves. Adults. Taken at night. No signs. Is that correct?


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## el Snappo (Mar 4, 2017)

Okay. Forgive me, Sue. I just looked at ye Profile. Trying to find if ye'd been back, since. That information isn't available, it seems, to fellow members? No worries. 

Still be very interested to get an answer to my, above, questions though. I have a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career.

Are we talking a Cluster, Sue? Or _Not_ talking? Because it's turned out a cluster?

Speak to el Snappo. el Snappo won't flap his lips. Only seeks input







PM?


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## SueBoyle (Aug 29, 2013)

el Snappo said:


> Okay. Forgive me, Sue. I just looked at ye Profile. Trying to find if ye'd been back, since. That information isn't available, it seems, to fellow members? No worries.
> 
> Still be very interested to get an answer to my, above, questions though. I have a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career.
> 
> ...



Yes, sorry el Snappo. The doves aren't back - no sign, no feathers etc, so there's no point in my looking further. They have either been pilfered or killed, so nothing I can do now sadly. Thanks for your input.


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