John E. Houser
6840 W. 3839 So.
West Valley City, Utah
              84128-3813
July 3, 2007

Bird Records Committee Secretary,

     For the record I had a Spotted Dove visit my bird bath for a drink on June 20, 2007, 1230 hrs and June 21, 2007, 1930 hours.  Both times it was there for a couple minutes for a drink.
     I contacted Deedee O'brian of the Great Salt Lake Audubon and I believe she put the information on the Utah Bird Internet.
     I have in the past raised and showed "Show Pigeons" some 20 years.  I have asked some of the Utah Pigeon people if they know anyone raising doves in this area in case this dove was kept and escaped.  I saw no band on this dove.
   When I first saw this dove at the bird bath I thought it was a Eurasian Collared-Dove  that have moved into this area in numbers starting June 2006.
     This bird had the dark collar of the Eurasian but easily stood out as larger to the eye from a distance compared to the Collar on the Eurasian that is a little harder to see.
     What first caught my eye was the reddish-brown color on the neck, breast, sides and flanks.
     The bird was about size of a Mourning Dove with a slightly smaller head compared to the Eurasian.  The bird also had an eye-line from the front of the eye to the beak.  It looked more like a wrinkle shadow than a color line.  It had white edging on both sides of the tail.
     With binoculars the collar had white or lighter colored spots ringed by black irradense lines.
     The spotted collar was wider and reached farther around the neck across the nape and farther to the throat than the black-narrow collar of the Eurasian Dove.
     I don not have the equipment to photograph or make other documentation.
     I have the "2004 Field Checklist of the Birds of Utah" and note that the Spotted Dove is not listed as being in Utah.

                          Thanks you,
                          John E. Houser

e-mail: dhous@sisna.com
6840 W. 3830 South
West Valley City, Utah 84128

phone: 1-801-250-9371