Collared doves can be quite flighty I’ve found so, when I was out for a local walk recently, I was delighted to spot this pair grazing amongst the leaf litter on the pavement.

As soon as I stopped to get my camera out of my backpack, they saw me and flew off. But I was lucky, as they had only flown across the road and were sitting on a stone wall.

Using a van that was parked on that side of the road as cover, I managed to get close enough to get a few photos, then moved around the van and edged closer, very very slowly, to get more images.

Happy with those shots, I then put the camera down and just enjoyed watching these beautiful creatures for some minutes, until other pedestrians walking along the street scared them off. I really value special moments like these, and I was cooing quietly to myself all the way home.