The big five were on show in Kent on Friday.
Sitting eating excellent cheese and pickle sandwiches, I saw wood pigeon, stock dove, collared dove, feral pigeon and… turtle dove!
Lovely image of turtle dove courtesy of young Kent birder, Jack Farrar
All were feeding on a plot of land next the garden of a local resident, David Burridge, who had erected a hide to keep an eye on the local turtle dove population which was enjoying the new habitat that he had created.
It was just one example of people in Kent doing their bit to help turtle doves – our most rapidly declining migratory bird which has declined by 93% since 1994.
As this trend is mirrored across Europe, with a decline of 78% since 1980, we have been deeply concerned that this beautiful and iconic could be the next bird species to go extinct in mainland UK. That’s why, with partners, we established Operation Turtle Dove.
Turtle doves spend two thirds of their time outside the UK where they face a range of threats along their migratory route (which we are seeking to tackle with our BirdLife partners), which takes them from their wintering grounds in West Africa to their breeding grounds in the UK. However, research shows that the loss of habitat in England is the biggest factor driving their declines here.
For this reason, it is essential that we establish good turtle dove feeding and nesting habitat over turtle doves core UK breeding range in East Anglia and South-East England.
Kent is a particular hotspot which is why it was so uplifting hearing about the work so many are doing to help turtle doves.
Earlier on Friday, I had met Pearl and Mary who had successfully campaigned against new housing in their village to prevent the destruction of important feeding habitat for turtle doves and other wildlife. The RSPB, Kent Wildlife Trust and Plantlife had all supported their campaign but the drive and leadership came from Pearl who invested four years of her life to protect the nature on her doorstep.
I also spent time with Anthony Curwen, a farmer and managing director of Quex Park, who is not only putting in place turtle dove habitat on his land (to encourage nesting and feeding) but is also encouraging others to do the same. Leadership within the farming community is essential and it was great to hear that there is genuine enthusiasm to have more turtle doves.
There is a real sense of momentum in Kent and that gives cause for optimism that we can and will save turtle doves. As my colleagues and all our volunteers working on turtle doves will testify, this all takes a lot of hard work. But I feel that we are beginning to roll out solutions at a decent scale. It shows what can be achieved when we understand the reason for decline, have viable solutions and are united behind a clear plan.
Preventing extinctions of species like the turtle dove is the ultimate test of whether we are living in harmony with nature. Yet, the IPBES report published earlier this spring was a stark reminder of the scale of the crisis with a million species at risk of being lost.
That’s why this is such an important week.
On Wednesday, thousands of people will join the Time Is Now lobby to make the case to politicians for urgent action to address the ecological and climate emergency. We shall be calling for the right laws, funding and international leadership to ensure that the UK plays its full part in the global endeavour to end our use of fossil fuels and restore nature.
That evening we shall also be hosting an event in the House of Lords to provide an update to our supporters about the Gough Island Restoration Programme which is designed to prevent extinction of two critically endangered species (Tristan albatross and Gough bunting). We have built a strong partnership to allow us to embark on the operational phase of the programme in 2020 when we plan to end predation by non-native invasive mice.
Fabrice LeBouard's majestic image of Tristan albatross
Conservation organisations are prepared to provide leadership to targeted action for a range of threatened species as we do for turtle dove to Tristan albatross. Civil society is prepared to play its part in using their voice and hands for nature.
But, to prevent the scale of decline, we need nothing short of transformational change to our economy, our food and energy systems.
And this transformation requires leadership from investors, businesses and politicians.