One of the visitors to Frampton Marsh recently that has been causing quite a stir is the turtle dove. They are an absolutely beautiful bird, looking a little like a collared dove in fancy dress (or maybe that’s just me!). They are causing quite a commotion with our visitors, some of who come especially to see them. This is because not only have they just arrived but that there are only a few breeding pairs total that visit our reserve, so they are quite the celebrity. They are very good at hiding, but if we’re lucky they will still be around for some time yet. I’ve been fortunate to have spotted them a few times now, it never gets old.
Their name does not in fact have anything to do with turtles, but from their call which is a deep “turr turr” sound, a little like the purring of a cat. The turtle dove has always stood as a symbol for love as they will often form strong bonds together. They nest in woodland edges, and in our case, hedgerows. This is for protection and also so they are near farmland for the seeds and grains they like to eat.
The reason they are so scarce is that their numbers have been plummeting in recent times. There are many reasons for this including food shortage, disease and lack of places to make homes over the winter. Another large factor is that they are being shot in their millions in countries such as Spain, France and Malta. In Malta it is even legal to shoot them during the breeding season, which has led to a decline of over 60% of these birds.
However there may be hope on the horizon with operation turtle dove. As well as having a cool name it is also a fantastic project to try and stop the decline of the turtle dove. RSPB is a partner in this project. One way they are trying to save the turtle dove is by tracking their migration (moving from breeding grounds and winter homes); RSPB scientists did this by attaching a lightweight tracker to a turtle dove named Titan. They followed his progress to Africa and right back to the same place he was tagged, a journey of over 10,000 kilometres! This will show which route he took, and where he stopped off. They also trial different possible protection solutions, make sure the turtle doves have homes and food when they arrive in the UK and make sure the birds make it though migration ok. Hopefully the more we learn about these beautiful animals, the more we can do to help them.
If you’re wondering how you can help the turtle doves, there’s plenty you can do. There is more information and things for you to do at http://www.operationturtledove.org/.