Feeding time

           Turtle Doves used to be a common bird and I can well remember seeing big flocks when I was in my teens. Even into the late 90s they were still a bird that I could guarantee seeing or hearing without much effort every Summer. They are migrants that arrive in the UK in May but like all birds that travel long distances their numbers are in steep decline to the point that they are now really seen. There are many reasons for their demise but agricultural intensification is probably key.  It does not help that many thousands are shot both legally and illegally en route as they travel across Europe.  The RSPB started a programme several years ago to provide them with targetted supplementary feed and we are fortunate to have Crow Wood included in this. Turtle Doves have appeared in very small numbers there every year since we bought it and this year once again at least one male has arrived. For many people these charming doves are the bird of Summer but sadly very few will now know their gentle purring call on hot summer days. It is a real delight to be able to enjoy them in our wood still.

         As May progresses birds are now busily feeding up nests full of young hatchlings. In most species both males and females contribute in the daily hunt for insects. Most species like to keep their nests and young hidden from any predators like Magpies and Squirrels but Great Spotted Woodpeckers and Nuthatches with their young safe in deep holes can afford to be more brazen.

The Turtle Dove is such a beautifully marked bird, now not very far from being extinct in the UK

 

A male Gt Spotted Woodpecker (note the red on the nape)

A Nuthatch on a feeding run

A female with a beak full of invertebrates