Birds I'm Watching: Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in the Grape Vines

No, it's not Christmas--but I didn't get the song quite right anyway. Yesterday, on the way back from a short shopping trip to the town of Pezenas (photo above; ice cream!) I spotted a pair of partridge-like birds among the grape vines at the side of the road. By the time I was able to stop the car, get out my binoculars and have a look, they had run a fair distance away, but I got a good look at them and their eight babies, fluffy little chicks scurrying around from the cover of one row of vines to the next. These turned out to be red-legged partridges, the common partridge in this area but a new bird for me.

While I was parking the car, a pair of pigeon-like birds landed not far away on a dirt road winding through the vineyards. When I got a good look at them, they turned out to be doves, but not the usual collared doves, which are a fairly uniform putty color with a dark half ring at the back of the neck (the collar). These had no collar, a distinctive black and white striped patch on either side of the neck, and a black-edged brown pattern on the folded wings suggestive of a turtle shell--turtle doves (another first sighting for me, bringing my European new bird total to 17). Two turtle doves naturally got me thinking about the song, having just seen a partridge or two. No pear trees, but two turtle doves and a partridge in the grape vines. Close enough. This being France, no doubt there were at least three French hens in the neighborhood and four calling birds, too. No sign of golden rings, geese, swans, maids, ladies, pipers, lords, or drummers, I'm afraid, but I'm keeping my eyes peeled. I will report any such sightings.