Never far from our thoughts during the festive season, thanks to starring roles on Christmas cards and in the song Twelve Days of Christmas, Turtle Doves actually spend the winter far away from our shores in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, this is the time when farmers on Ripple Farm in Kent are already planning for their spring return.
This long-distance migratory dove, with its scalloped wings and characteristic “purring” call, has sadly suffered a population crash of 98% in the UK since the 1970s. Habitat loss and lack of food availability in their breeding grounds here are some of the reasons this species is struggling. However, Kent is an important county for these doves, supporting around one third of the remaining population in England. This is thanks to dedicated farmers, such as Sarah and Martin from Ripple Farm, who provide Turtle Doves with the perfect spot to spend the spring and summer.
Located in the Stour Valley in Kent, Ripple Farm’s Home Farm is a 14-acre site managed for organic vegetable production. Produce goes into their East Kent vegetable box scheme and is sold at farmers markets, including Wye and Whitstable in Kent, and London’s Stoke Newington market. But what buyers of this fresh produce might not know, as they stock up with veg ready for their Christmas feasts, is that this site in Crundale is also home to Turtle Doves, thanks to the farm’s great habitat for this species.
Sarah Mackey, owner of Ripple Farm, said: “We have some dense hedges at our Home Farm and we grow a range of crops in the fields, with planting at different times so there are usually cultivated areas with plenty of weeds somewhere in the fields at any one time. Fumitory is a common plant here, so we were happy to find out it's a favourite of Turtle Doves!”
A feast of Fumitory is surely at the top of Turtle Doves’ wish lists this year, as characteristically this species has very specific feeding requirements. They prefer seeds from wild plants that grow close to the soil, with an area of open ground as this is essential for foraging for the seeds. A lack of appropriate food is an important factor in this dove’s population crash, which is why supporting them by providing additional seed mix is often suggested by RSPB Conservation Advisors working as part of Operation Turtle Dove, a partnership between the RSPB, Fair to Nature, Pensthorpe Conservation Trust and Natural England, which exists to reverse declines in the population of this species.
Providing an additional food supply is something that Sarah has tried successfully at Ripple Farm: “We started supplementary feeding in 2020 at our Home Farm site, and then added a small pond near the feeding area in the winter of 2020/21. A trail camera was installed by the RSPB by the pond and in the feeding area too and it managed to photograph four Turtle Doves at one time in 2021! It has been great to share these pictures with our customers.”
Image: Four Turtle Doves and two Woodpigeons at supplementary feeding area at Ripple Farm, photographed by RSPB trail camera
Nicole Khan, RSPB Conservation Advisor, said: “It’s wonderful news to have recorded Turtle Doves at Ripple Farm, as it is testament to the brilliant habitat available here, from wild plants growing that provide seed food to dense hedges and ponds. This farm really is a great example to follow for landowners looking at improving their site for Turtle Doves and we are so grateful to the efforts of the farmers and landowners who are already doing amazing work to help protect this iconic UK bird.”
Working with a sustainable ethos of growing produce with nature in mind, Sarah knows how special having this iconic Christmas dove on the farm is. “Having Turtle Doves visit our fields, a species at risk, makes organic farming all the more rewarding, and the support from the RSPB has meant that we have the knowledge to provide what these birds need as well as the seed for supplementary feeding.”
Operation Turtle Dove is a partnership between the RSPB, Fair to Nature, Pensthorpe Conservation Trust and Natural England that aims to reverse the decline of this farmland species. A team of advisors is on hand to provide guidance to land managers on creating Turtle Dove habitat and providing supplementary feeding.
You can discover more about Turtle Doves' link to Christmas, why this species is struggling and what Operation Turtle Dove is doing to help in this festive blog: "Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a pear tree".
Main image credit: Turtle dove, Streptopelia turtur, adult perched on fence post, Lincolnshire, July. Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)