Conservation advice for Turtle Doves.
Turtle Doves are occasionally reported in the borough and from nearby Swanley.
On June 1st a Turtle Dove was seen in flight over Thamesmead near Morrisons, not far from the Bexley border, by George Kalli.
Turtle Dove photographed in Swanley Park.
Operation Turtle Dove.
Turtle doves (Streptopelia turtur) are in trouble; their population is currently halving in number every six years. They have suffered a 95% UK population decline since 1970 and a 74% decline across Europe since 1980. A bird that was once common across much of England is now retreating year after year into an ever shrinking patch of East Anglia and the South East of England.
At this current rate of change, of we don’t help this species, scientists calculate that complete UK extinction as a breeding species will be a real possibility.
Operation Turtle Dove was launched with an important and urgent mission to reverse the fortunes of this enigmatic and culturally significant bird.
http://operationturtledove.org/
The help sheet can be downloaded here: download the helpsheet
