This year we have tagged another seven doves with funding from Natural England and Kent Wildlife Trust, and the total of our colour-ringed birds now stands at thirty. We have used static audio recorders to establish their presence (or otherwise) in several woodland and orchard sites, revealing new information about the timing of singing. KWT specialists will use the many hours of data acquired to trial methods of identifying individuals from their song pattern – a step-forward in the research on this species if they are successful.
The value of colour-ringing the doves is also being realised as we have more than three hundred records of these individuals which we will use to interpret their movements around the area and provide information on the timing of their daily routine and breeding cycle. Most importantly, we have excellent data on their survival and, in two cases, their breeding partnership. All six of the birds we first ringed in 2022 have survived and been seen again this year – and in between years have completed an 11,000km return migration to Africa.
Colour ring data is collected by volunteers from trail cameras covering supplementary feed sites established by landowners with seed supplied by the RSPB on behalf of Operation Turtle Dove.
One of the two juvenile doves hatched and ringed in 2023 has been seen again this year. Juveniles have only a c30% chance of surviving their first year so we were pleased to find this one alive and well and feeding near where it had been born. We have ringed a further three juvenile birds this year; one of them, trapped in September, had only just fledged, indicating it was from a late nest suggesting its parents had managed at least two, possibly three, successful broods.
We have yet to analyse all the data from the GPS tracking but, suffice to say, it has once again provided information about daily movements and breeding. Most importantly, it is demonstrating how the species is adapting to the human influence on the Kent landscape and possibly the impacts of the changing climate. In addition, several tagged birds (like Joe, above) have led us to sites where the landowners have had no idea that doves were present – a nice surprise for them, and a boost to the chances of that spot retaining suitable habitat for the birds!
An illustrated summary of what we’ve learned so far from the project can be found below – posters used on our display at the recent Weald of Kent Ploughing Match.
