Antique Taxidermy - DOVE,CUCKOO,SANDGROUSE

PALLAS SANDGROUSE(SYRRHAPTES PARADOXUS)A BRITISH RARITY THESE BIRDS WERE MOUNTED BY COLE OF NORWICH IN 1888 THIS BIRD ARRIVES IN LONG DISTANCE PERIODIC INTERUPTIONS,THE LAST BEING IN 1908,THESE BIRDS WERE FROM THE YEAR THIS SPECIES BRED IN BRITAIN IN 1888 ON THE NORFOLK GRASSY DUNES NEAR GREAT YARMOUTH

SANDGROUSE MOUNTED BY WALTER LOWNEOF GREAT YARMOUTH 1880

THIS IS THE EARLIEST KNOWN FOUR PALLAS SANDGROUSE TO BE IN EXISTENCE FROM BRITISH MIGRATORY STOCK.FOUR LATER DATED BIRDS BY COLE ARE IN NORWICH MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY FROM 1908,TWO OTHER BIRDS ARE IN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS,AND HAVE JUST OBSERVED ANOTHER IN A CASE WITH TWO STARLINGS DATED 1908

DURING YEARS OF EXEPTIONAL SNOW THESE BIRDS ARE FORCED INTO LONG DISTANCE MOVEMENTS FROM THEIR BREEDING GROUNDS ON THE STEPPES,OCCURING IN BRITAIN REGULAR FROM 1859-1908,AND PROVED TO HAVE BRED IN 1988 IN ELGIN,YORKSHIRE AND MOST LIKELY NORFOLK FROM THIS CASE HISTORY,PROBABLY SUFFOLK,RARE OCCURENCE WHEN A TAXIDERMY ITEM CAN PROVIDE INFORMATION FOR THE MODERN BIRDWATCHERS,PERHAPS DUE TO THE FORTHCOMING GLOBAL CATASTROPHE WITH OUR WEATHER THIS MIGHT BE ONE OF MANY BIRDS TO BE DISLODGED FROM ITS NORMAL RANGE IN FUTURE.

TWO VERY RARE PALLAS SANDGROUSE,ONLY 33 SKINS WERE OBTAINED BY THE NORFOLK TAXIDERMISTS FROM THE 1888 INVASION,SIX ARE IN OUR COLLECTION,NORWICH MUSEUM HAS FOUR OF COLES BIRDS

THIS SPECIES ALTHOUGH NAMED AS A SANDGROUSE IS INDEED A MEMBER OF THE COLUMBIDAE PIGEON FAMILY,A BIRD OF SANDY SEMI-DESERT REGIONS OF ASIA

CUCKOO(CUCULUS CANORUS)NO SOUND OF SUMMER IS MORE EAGERLY AWAITED THAN THE MONOTONOUS CALLING OF THE CUCKOO AS IT ARRIVES IN MAY FROM ITS AFRICAN WINTER HOME,THE ONLY BRITISH BREEDING BIRD WITH PRASITIC BREEDING CYCLE,MOST COMMON VICTIMS ARE REED WARBLER,MEADOW PIPIT,DUNNOCK ALTHOUGH OVER A HUNDRED SPECIES HAVE BEEN RECORDED AS HOSTS,DECLINE IN PIPITS AND DUNNOCKS MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO RECENT DECLINE,AS WELL AS CHANGES IN WEATHER AND MIGRATORY SHOOTING.

SUPERB SHOPLAND OF TORQUAY RED-PHASE CUCKOO

PAIR OF CUCKOOS,RUFOUS BIRDS CAN BE EITHER JUVENILES OR FEMALE RED-PHASE VARIANTS.THE ONLY BRITISH BIRD PARASITIC BREEDING BIRD,LAY EGGS IN HOST BIRDS NEST,YOUNGSTER GROWS RAPIDLY AND QUICKLY EVICTS RIVAL SIBLINGS,TRADITIONAL SPRING ARRIVAL,EAGERLY AWAITED CALL,BUT NUMBERS ARE NOW REDUCING,LOOKS VERY MUCH LIKE A HAWK OR FALCON IN FLIGHT.

CUCKOOS INCLUDING RED PHASE JUVENILE

VICTORIAN CASED CUCKOO

CUCKOO BY WHITE OF DRONSFIELD DERBYSHIRE

DARK PHASE EUROPEAN CUCKOO

VICTORIAN MOUNTING CALLING CUCKOO

WOOD PIGEONS BY JEFFRIES OF CAMARTHEN,SUPERB EXAMPLE OF A VERY DIFFICULT BIRD TO MOUNT,MOST FEATHER ON SOME MOUNTED PIGEONS CRUMBLE TO DUST

STOCK DOVE

PAIR OF FERAL PIGEONS,SHOWING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ORIGINAL ROCK DOVES FROM WHICH THEY EVOLVED,ORIGINALLY A CAVE AND CLIFFACE NESTER,THIS CASE MOUNTED BY GEORGE PINCHER OF CHURCHGATE LEICESTER

COLLARED DOVE(STREPTOPELIA DECAOCTO)FIRST NESTED IN KENT IN 1955 NOW IN 2007 A RAPID INCREASE OF THIS BIRD THAT SOMETIMES RAISES FIVE BROODS PER YEAR GAS REACHED WESTWARDS TO IRELAND AND NORTHERN SCOTLAND A TOTAL OF OVER 220 THOUSAND OCCUPIED TERRITORIES HELD AND INCREASING