News from the RSPB

Since Operation Turtle Dove was launched by the RSPB, Conservation Grade, Pensthorpe Conservation Trust and Natural England in May, the reporting hotline has had 429 calls reporting the elusive bird.

Norfolk came top as the county with the most reported turtle dove sightings (112), second was Suffolk (69), closely followed by Cambridgeshire (61), with Essex (32), Kent (29), and Lincolnshire (20) coming fourth, fifth and sixth. In Jersey we may have had only one breeding pair this year and it is unclear whether these were successful in rearing any young.

Alison Gardner from the RSPB’s Operation Turtle Dove, said: ‘It’s great that we’ve already had so many people supporting Operation Turtle Dove and looking out for these birds.

‘At this time of year, just before turtle doves Streptopelia turtur head off on migration, juveniles and family groups are easier to spot so we’re hoping for some more reports before the season’s out and are appealing to anyone who spots a turtle dove to call and give us as much information as possible.’

Turtle dove numbers have fallen dramatically since the 1970s with just nine birds now for every 100 there were 40 years ago. Once widespread across much of England and Wales, the species has been lost from many areas and are now primarily restricted to areas of East Anglia and southern England. Not so long ago, turtle doves were widespread in Jersey in summer but are now close to disappearing.

Reasons for the turtle dove’s population crash are not fully understood. However, since the 1960s the diet has changed from mainly the small seeds of wild plants to one dominated mainly by crop seeds, which are scarce early in the breeding season and may provide a poorer quality diet for turtle doves.

Simon Tonkin, the RSPB’s senior farmland advisor, said: ‘turtle doves feed almost exclusively on seeds. Many of the traditional wild foods are now scarce on farmland and it is uncertain whether crop seeds are providing an adequate substitute. Additionally, turtle doves prefer to nest in hedgerows or areas of scrub over 4m tall, habitats that are less common than in the past.’

Operation Turtle Dove’s hotline has also received a number of calls from people with large gardens, often backing onto agricultural land, who’ve spotted turtle doves taking food from their bird feeders and using the garden pond to drink from and bathe in.

RSPB researchers have also found nests in gardens and amenity areas bordering farmland, which may reflect a shortage of resources on agricultural land, meaning the birds are forced to find alternatives to survive.

Simon added: ‘This means farmers and householders in rural areas have a huge role to play in the conservation of this beautiful bird. While there are some great advocates out there doing all they can, it still needs more support.’

To report your turtle dove sightings, call the Operation Turtle Dove Hotline 01603 697527 or you can submit your sightings to turtledove@rspb.org.uk Please also send in your records to the Jersey Bird Recorder at the Société Jersiaise ornithology@societe-jersiaise.org or through Jerseybirds.

The RSPB has two advice sheets on how to help turtle doves, one for farmers and one for people with large gardens or outside spaces that back onto arable fields and are available free by emailing turtledove@rspb.org.uk

On 7^th June 2011 a single male cirl bunting was, rather surprisingly, found singing merrily on the perimeter fence at Les Landes racecourse. Not only had this bunting, whose decline and disappearance from Jersey been one of the catalysts to BIRDS ON THE EDGE, not been recorded here since 2004 but Les Landes was not a typical site for the species. As the excitement of this find settled a pair of buntings were located on the golf course in Grouville on 24^th June. There may have still been time for these birds to breed in 2011 but there were no signs of activity so we settled down to watch over them through the winter.

One of the possible causes for this bunting’s decline in the UK has been identified as a lack of winter food. The RSPB supplied us with details of feeder designs and good seed mixes and several hardy volunteers maintained the feeders through the winter months. After apparently ignoring the feeders for several weeks the buntings, who remained in the area throughout, began to feed on the seed provided and, while not a very hard winter, this may have helped them survive. If nothing else it may have stopped them wandering away from this traditional site.

This year we watched as the pair remained in the area and gave tantalising hints of a breeding attempt. The weather, however, may have contrived against them as heavy rain in spring washed out lots of our birds. Then, on 24^th July, Mick Dryden, one of the pair’s active monitors, found a single chick – the first hatched on the Island since possibly 12 years ago. A subsequent visit found a second chick and the female may be attempting to nest again.

It may take more than one pair to spur on recolonisation but it is a positive start. Thanks are due to the many people who helped out with feeding the birds, to the RSPB for their advice and to the Royal Jersey Golf Club for their support throughout.