Mark Nowers, RSPB Conservation Officer in Eastern England A top place for turtle doves The plight of the turtle dove and the work of dedicated farmers, landowners and conservationists in trying to save it is well known. But how can the world of planning policy and local councils help to save this bird? With limited resources, […]
Continue readingTurtle Doves
Farmers and funders give turtle doves a lifeline in 2018
Laurinda Luffman, RSPB Trusts and Foundations Manager New figures show plight of the turtle dove The latest figures from the government show that farmland bird populations are continuing to decline (by a further 7% between 2011-2016). Of all the farmland species, the turtle dove has seen the most dramatic fall. Numbers of this precious summer […]
Continue readingVolunteers saving turtle doves
Guest blog by Caroline Spinks, Turtle Dove Survey Volunteer Co-ordinator Part of Operation Turtle Dove’s remit is to carry out research in turtle dove breeding grounds/habitats, much of this research relies upon volunteer surveyors heading out in the early hours to look for turtle doves through the breeding season. In Cambridgeshire, Essex, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk […]
Continue readingFarmers take emergency action for turtle doves
This summer Operation Turtle Dove has supported farmers in providing supplementary food for turtle doves throughout the bird’s remaining strongholds during the breeding season. This new tactic follows recent results from a two year trial which showed that when best practice is followed, putting out supplementary feed for turtle doves does not exacerbate issues related […]
Continue readingTurtle Dove Action Plan – it’s just the start
In the last in our series of blogs about the Action Plan for turtle doves, Ian Fisher and Joscelyne Ashpole from the RSPB reflect on the work that has gone into the plan, celebrate the ‘Eyes on the Flyways’ conference and look to the future. For the last two years we have been pulling together […]
Continue readingWorking together for turtle doves in the Gambia
The Turtle Dove Action Plan has brought together stakeholders from across the species’ European and African range and it is inspiring to hear how people right along the flyway are working to help the turtle dove. Here, Lamin Jobaate from the European Turtle Dove Working Group for the Gambia tells us about the work that […]
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Celebrating a new chapter for turtle dove conservation
On the day of the ‘Eyes on the Flyways’ conference where a suite of action plans, including the Turtle Dove Action Plan, will be celebrated, Carles Carboneras from the RSPB reflects on the work that has gone into making the Action Plan for turtle doves a reality and highlights the next important steps. My name […]
Continue readingUnifying our voices for bird conservation
On World Migratory Bird Day, Anna Staneva from BirdLife International tells us about an exciting project that is uniting voices across the African-Eurasian flyways to save iconic species like the turtle dove. The theme of this spring’s World Migratory Bird Day is ‘Uniting our voices for bird conservation’. This message of international collaboration is exemplified […]
Continue readingPonds for turtle doves
British farmland birds have experienced a population decline of 56% since 1970, with some species such as Turtle Dove and Tree Sparrow decreasing by over 90%. The intensification of agriculture and associated reductions of food availability and suitable nesting habitat is known to be one of the main drivers of these population crashes. One key […]
Continue readingWorking together for turtle doves – the launch of a Turtle Dove Friendly Zone
Turtle doves are declining at an alarming rate, and we know that one of the best ways we can help them is by ensuring that they have the seed food that they need, as well as nesting habitat and access to water on their breeding grounds. To do this at a large enough scale, we […]
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