Finally

Those who have followed my blog for sometime will remember that last year our garden was graced by the presence of a pair of Turtle doves. This year, as May approached, I waited with baited breath to see if they would return. They did, only to leave again for a while, perhaps just passing through. A few weeks later another returned, and we have had infrequent visits ever since. Frustratingly I haven’t had the time (or good weather!) to try and photograph them, and when I have tried a bird hating neighbour often shoos all the birds away. Each to their own I suppose, but I can’t understand that attitude when a very special rarity – the Turtle dove – is visiting your garden. To me it’s a real privilege to see this bird. Anyway, I finally had a chance tonight, and after a fair wait this beauty dropped down to feed.

The harsh light was pretty tricky and I had to work hard for these shots, but what a treat to get this bird in the viewfinder.

Somehow I also feel relieved, this is a bird on the brink, so to see it again means it’s still hanging on. There’s a small article in this month’s BBC Wildlife magazine on the Turtle dove, and the reality is it’s future is bleak – “the bird species most likely to become extinct in the UK over the next decade.” Could it be that my children won’t ever see a Turtle dove in the UK? The RSPB is trying hard to save this bird, but having declined by a staggering 91% over the last 40 years it’s going to be tough.

Laying there, enjoying this little birds company, a whistle of wings overhead alerted me to the approach of a Stock dove. A new bird for the garden, a pair of them have overcome their fears and are making regular visits. This one was too busy eating to even look at the camera.

These lovely, rather shy birds seem to be doing well around here. From a distance they seem quite plain, but they have a beautiful slick of iridescent green and purple on their necks that makes them quite attractive up close.

Fingers crossed I’ll find the time for more Turtle dove photos…

(Click images to view larger…)

Subscribe

Sign up to receive blog notifications and exclusive content!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Similar Posts

  • Bee Kind

    Usual Sunday morning chores interrupted today when I noticed a queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee sitting on the kitchen windowsill, she must have got stuck indoors the previous evening. She dived into the offered teaspoon of honey, allowing me a photo opportunity. Many people regard bees rather warily, but they are fascinating and important creatures. Bumblebee’s are…

  • Happy New Year!

    Happy New Year to you all! Despite the grey weather today, I just had to get out with the camera – the reason? Well a lovely shiny new lens! Now the folks who know me will know I’m not that much of a ‘gear-head’ and I’m a firm believer in that it’s not what you’ve…

  • Swallowtails and a surprise

    Phew, what a day! Headed out to the Broads to try and find some Swallowtail butterflies, we found several on the wing, but they didn’t settle, and I was surprised to find a lack of flowers. We decided to go back to Strumpshaw for the afternoon. The place was alive with Swallowtails! We must have…

  • Nearly but not quite

    Someone very wise once said insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. It’s true, and that’s what we do as wildlife photographers. We visit the same spot again and again, hoping for that one moment when it all comes together. The light, the subject – we wait…

  • Treecreeper

    All quiet on the Fen this morning. The Bearded tits were heard but not seen, making the long walk and long wait seem a bit disappointing, but such is wildlife photography. On the way back I spotted a Little Egret, hunched up in the wet fen. There’s water everywhere, the fen is a damp place…

5 Comments

  1. Great shots – you must be very patient!

    I didn’t realise they were rare – we have at least one pair in our garden in Yaxley every year (along with hordes of annoying wood pigeons of course:-)

      1. Thanks for your comments Nick, interestingly, Collared doves would have been considered rare 50/60 years ago, as they only came to the UK in the 1950’s.

Leave a Reply