Location Alhambra, Granada, Andalucia, Spain
Columba palumbus
The last bird in Spain would prove to be one of the more challenging puzzles but with a very satisfying ending. We were eating dinner right next to the great Alhambra castle complex, and I was done eating, so naturally I escaped the crowd of people and went outside to see if I could see any birds. (Chaperoning duty was less constricting when we were all together).
The light wasn't very good, but across the way I saw a couple of large gray birds perched in the trees. I convinced myself for a time that they were a falcon of some kind. I can't remember which, but in any case, the one I was looking at didn't have the little strip of white on the neck. Moreover, these birds were just perched together in a tree, not moving much at all over a period of about 15 minutes. It seemed odd behavior for a falcon, but I couldn't get anything else to "fit." (Dangerous territory when trying to identify a bird) However, the light wasn't very good either. Perhaps the white was a trick of the light?
Then I saw the additional picture in the Wood Pigeon entry and that really locked it in. In addition to having the requisite white stripe on the neck, the birds in the illustration looked almost exactly like mine in terms of behavior, habitat, etc. I realized my mistake and exulted in the knowledge that I had the right bird, no question. I'm not sure how I would have felt later -- I might have deleted the falcon entry. A cautionary tale, perhaps.
But then again, there's always that line: how sure do I have to be? 100%? Beyond reasonable doubt? The thing is, I've been 100% certain before, but then later realize that I had missed a field mark (kind of like in this case). It's ultimately up to the individual to decide.
Wikipedia: Common Wood Pigeon
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