Norfolk Wildlife Trust looks at the future for turtle doves

For many country folk the gentle rolling purr of the turtle dove is evocative of the splendour of high summer, but this once familiar sound of the sunlit country lanes of rural Norfolk is disappearing.

In much of the countryside this migratory bird has been replaced by the slightly larger, and resident, collared dove, whose call to my mind is less pleasing, a nasal sounding ‘hah-hah’ with the cadence of a blacksmith’s hammer.

The collared dove’s spectacular rise in number is in stark contrast to the turtle dove’s sad decline.

Although its disappearance has little to do with its plainer white-grey coloured cousin and more to do with human activities. Despite this, you may still be lucky enough to see turtle dove this summer.

Once common around every village in the southern half of England, Norfolk has become one of the last surviving heartlands for the turtle dove, particularly in the county’s Claylands area. However, centuries of hunting across continental Europe has led it into secretive habits and it is quick to take flight upon approach.

(Image: Martin Brown)

It is a small, slim dove with a thin neck and protruding round head, its wings are neatly patterned with light orange-brown and black, and they have a blue-grey panel that is visible in flight, the head and breast is a soft subtle pink with adults bearing black bars upon their necks.

Its rather odd name has no links to actual turtles, or that its plumage has a vague reference to the reptile; more likely it is a corruption of its French name, tourterelle.            

The turtle dove feeds almost exclusively on weed seeds and although associated with arable farmland, it prefers varied and mixed habitats.

One of the many reasons for the reduced breeding success is that everywhere is just too tidy.

Lanes have their verges cut before flowers can take to seed, elsewhere herbicides are freely used on ‘unsightly’ weeds and hedgerows are cut down each autumn preventing them becoming tall and unkempt, which turtle dove prefer.

Being quite shy, quiet corners of our countryside are hard for it to find too.     

(Image: Richard Brunton)

Despite this, all is not lost as several studies have identified the bird’s requirements, prompting conservation organisations such as Norfolk Wildlife Trust to work with farmers, landowners, and other stakeholders to improve its favoured habitats.

And the turtle dove is a species that will benefit directly from the work that NWT’s meadows appeal will help to fund.

The well-known Knepp Estate rewilding project saw one singing male in 1999 increase to 18 in 2020 and proved that with proper consideration the turtle dove can be saved as a UK breeding bird. Similar projects in North Norfolk have seen the return of breeding turtle doves.

However, as with many aspects of conservation, it takes an international effort to achieve lasting success.

The migration of the turtle dove takes it on a perilous journey to sub-Saharan Africa and back. If the birds escape the mist nets along the coast of the Mediterranean, they are then met by the hazard of tens of thousands 

of guns. In Malta, the slaughter claims 100,000 birds, with 800,000 shot legally each spring in Spain. In addition, illegal glue traps take countless numbers across France and Italy.

A recent, but short-lived,  EU moratorium on turtle dove hunting saw an immediate increase in breeding success.

The turtle dove, a migratory bird of summer, would have been an unlikely gift at Christmas, although the species has become an integral part of the culture of England’s summer folklore. Pairing for life, and often found close together, they have been used as a metaphor for marital love, with Shakespeare using the turtle dove as a reference for memory.

Its gentle purring call brings to my mind a peaceful countryside of picket-fenced cottage gardens, meadows, overgrown orchards, and hawthorn lined lanes.

I’m sure, like me, the sweet purr of the turtle dove has triggered memories of childhood summers in the minds of country folk across the centuries.

Let’s work to ensure that it continues to be the sound of long hot summers for many generations of children to come.  

(Image: Darren Williams)

Meadows appeal and joining NWT

can donate to Norfolk Wildlife Trust and support our work restoring Norfolk’s meadows benefiting wildlife such as the turtle dove. The money raised will help support our core activates within the Nature Recovery Team so they can continue their advice work and collaborations with landowners to create and restore meadows. You may also wish to help protect and enhance our counties wildlife by joining as an individual, family, or corporate group.                                         
For further information please see: www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk