TURTLE DOVES RETURN 26th April 2025

THEY’RE BACK! Our Turtle Doves are returning from their winter home in West Africa and the first two we have seen (Tina and Abraham) are birds that have made Marden their summer home for at least three years running – they were probably hatched here in 2021, or even earlier. They were given names when both had GPS tags attached to them last summer as it is easier to discuss them when they have a name rather than having to use a seven character alphanumeric ID, like EA12345!  Tracking them over a month revealed a lot of important information about how they use the local farmland.

Marden Wildlife has a special licence issued by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) to do this, and with the help of MW Facebook members and residents, Kent Wildlife Trust, and local farmers we have been studying our doves for the last five years. You can see these two have colour rings on their legs that enable us to identify them as individuals. The typical lifespan of an adult is just two years, so Tina and Abraham are doing particularly well. As only a third of young turtle doves survive to breed, we need to know where our doves are nesting so that local landowners can make sure their nesting habitat is protected. This is where YOU can help by letting us know on Facebook, or email mardenwildlife@gmail.com where you see or hear one.

The UK has lost more than 99% of its Turtle Doves in the last fifty years, but we’re working hard in Kent to turn the tide so do let us know of any you come across in Marden and the surrounding area.

Photos by Adrian Leveridge and Chris Cox