Turtle doves make forest revival after vanishing from farm land

A SURVEY is being carried out in some of Yorkshire’s forests after a resurgence in turtle doves which had been under threat after numbers declined dramatically.

Forestry Commission rangers are joining forces with volunteers from the North Yorkshire Forest Bird Study Group to carry out the research after a burgeoning number of birds has been found in woodland.

The turtle dove – beloved of the carol The 12 Days of Christmas and usually found near farm land – has suffered such a tailspin decline that it has been put on the Red List of conservation concern. But in a move that has surprised experts, the bird seems to be making a new home for itself in North Yorkshire woodlands like Dalby Forest.

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As a result, the first ever survey of the species is being done in Forestry Commission woods including Dalby and Langdale forests to gauge how many birds are nesting and what they are feeding on.

Pickering-based Mick Carroll, from the North Yorkshire Forest Bird Study Group, said: “We are hearing the bird’s lovely purring song more and more in the woods. And not just on the forest edge, but in the middle of big forests like Dalby where you would not expect to find them.

“Nightjars – a nocturnal ground nesting bird – made a similar switch from heathland to forest clear fell areas so we know that birds can be very adaptable. It’s all very intriguing and this survey will hopefully shed light on what is going on.”

The turtle dove is smaller and darker than the collared dove and slightly larger than a blackbird. One theory for the growth in numbers is that the birds are feeding on seed from wheat growing along forest roads and rides, although no-one knows for sure.

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An ecologist with the Forestry Commission, Brian Hicks, said: “Despite featuring in the Christmas carol, the turtle dove is a migratory species and spends winter in warmer climes.

“That means the survey has to be done now. Our public forests offer important habitats for wildlife thanks to sensitive management and on-going work done by our rangers and volunteer conservationists.”

The birds on the Red List of conservation concern was set up to pinpoint those species which are globally threatened and have seen their populations decline in UK between 1800 and 1995. The endangered list also recognises species which have seen a severe – at least 50 per cent – decline in UK breeding population over last 25 years and a similar contraction of breeding ranges over the past quarter of a century.