Welcome to our first blog – La Paloma!

As this is our first blog, I think it is probably most appropriate to talk about the dove found in Cordoba! The name of the dove is golden eared dove and the scientific name is Zenaida auriculata. The doves are very similar to the mourning dove found in North America. At the lodge the dove is usually called “paloma”, “paloma muerta” or my favorite “doble”!

People are always asking how many doves are in Cordoba. Estimates range from 20 to 100 million, but we really don’t have a good sense of the number.  What we do know is that there are more than you can imagine! The reason for the high volume of doves is because they reproduce on average 4 times a year.  Two parents lay two eggs.  We think doves can reproduce after 6 months and live up to five years. Now try doing that math! In any case its easy to see why doves are a major plague for the farmers in Cordoba.

One common misconception is that the dove shooting is easy especially given the pictures of flocks and flocks of birds. On the contrary, doves are very sporty as they jink and change direction upon hearing gun shots. There 18 inch wingspan make them speedy as well.  With a little wind, you will be amazed at the lead that is necessary to take them down.

The predators in the area love eating doves including, eagles, foxes and wild boar. Of course our clients also enjoy our delicious dove recipes such as dove nuggets, dove kabob and dove pate. What is your favorite dove recipe?