Despite being mentioned in
the Christmas song, the Twelve Days Of Christmas, Turtle doves are absent from
the UK at this time of year
as they overwinter in sub-saharan Africa . Their presence in this famous Christmas song reflects their association with literature and folklore which stretches back to the bible.
The Song of Solomon (2:12) in the Old Testament includes the lines
The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the song of the birds is come
And the voice of the turtle is heard in in our land.
Turtle doves pair bond can extend beyond one breeding season and this classic emblem of marital devotion has appeared in English poetry since Chaucer. They have been described as the 'smallest and loveliest of the British pigeons' - I'm sure you would agree if you see the pictures below, I think the far more common collared dove pales in compaison, but maybe I'm biased!
(Thank you to Birds Britannica by Mark Cocker and Richard Mabey for the fascinating Turtle dove facts).
Most news concerning this beautiful and iconic species is gloomy with the bird being labelled one of our fastest declining bird species. Not only has it suufered from agricultural intensification like many of our farmland bird species but every spring and autumn it has to run the gauntlet of European hunters and in Malta alone tens of thousands of birds are shot annually. Despite being outlawed by EU legislation, Malta somehow receives an exemption on the grounds that the tradition is deeply embedded in its rural culture. Added to that miles of fine 'mist' nets on the North Arican coast trap this and many other migatory species on their long journeys, often to be used as food.
In Wiltshire we are lucky enough to still have some Turtle doves and it one of the species targeted by the South Wiltshire Farmland Bird Project
The Song of Solomon (2:12) in the Old Testament includes the lines
The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the song of the birds is come
And the voice of the turtle is heard in in our land.
Turtle doves pair bond can extend beyond one breeding season and this classic emblem of marital devotion has appeared in English poetry since Chaucer. They have been described as the 'smallest and loveliest of the British pigeons' - I'm sure you would agree if you see the pictures below, I think the far more common collared dove pales in compaison, but maybe I'm biased!
(Thank you to Birds Britannica by Mark Cocker and Richard Mabey for the fascinating Turtle dove facts).
Most news concerning this beautiful and iconic species is gloomy with the bird being labelled one of our fastest declining bird species. Not only has it suufered from agricultural intensification like many of our farmland bird species but every spring and autumn it has to run the gauntlet of European hunters and in Malta alone tens of thousands of birds are shot annually. Despite being outlawed by EU legislation, Malta somehow receives an exemption on the grounds that the tradition is deeply embedded in its rural culture. Added to that miles of fine 'mist' nets on the North Arican coast trap this and many other migatory species on their long journeys, often to be used as food.
In Wiltshire we are lucky enough to still have some Turtle doves and it one of the species targeted by the South Wiltshire Farmland Bird Project
Martin Down National Nature Reserve in Hampshire (but on the
borders of Wiltshire and Dorset) is a local stronghold for this bird and a small
project has been running here for the last year to try and find out more about
why the birds here are faring better than their neighbours. Additional foraging
areas were also created by neighbouring farmers as lack of seed food is one of
the reasons the birds are declining. With help from the South Wiltshire Farmland Bird Project, Natural England (NE) and
volunteers, a pilot study carried out a survey of breeding birds across the
reserve last summer.
Volunteer Andy Davis gave an update, ‘The pilot study at Martin Down estimated that there were seven breeding pairs in 2014 and we know at least some breeding
attempts were successful as the team ringed two fledglings. It was a very
protracted breeding season and birds were still on site well into September.
The data we collected currently suggests that the birds had selected the
largest, most impenetrable plots of scrub for nesting and that they were
distributed across the whole reserve. We can also say that we did not observe
any birds feeding within the reserve and that they must forage elsewhere -
hopefully the next stage of the project will establish where.”
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| European Turtle Dove |
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| Collared Dove |
