Collared Dove ( Streptopelia decaocto

As a boy this now ubiquitous bird was high on my "would like to see" list.  Originally from the Balkans and Turkey for reasons nobody seems to know it started to "explode" across Europe.  By the early 50s it was being seen in the UK with the first breeding in 1955.  I saw my first about seven years later, by then they were into Scotland.  I saw my first on the way to Sand Eels bay on Iona.

Four birds were known to be present in 1955 by 1970 the population was conservatively estimated to be between 15,000 and 25,000 pairs.  In 2016 the estimate was 810,000 pairs.  The average age is 3 years but the longest lived proved by ringing recoveries was 15 years 3 months.