Year of the Dove - Turtle Dove International Campaign

Tue 10th Aug, 2021

Year of the Dove (logo by Jo Ruth Design)

I have been watching and enjoying Turtle Doves all my life in my home county of Yorkshire but what I didn’t know until recently was that they have been so important to people for thousands of years.

Turtle Dove over the blue skies of North Yorkshire © Richard Baines

Which bird is mentioned in the bible more than any other? Answer Turtle Dove over 50 times! I find it amazing and heart-warming that these wonderful birds have been celebrated as part of our cultural heritage for so long. Losing them completely would be a damning verdict on our generation especially when we are living in an age of increased environmental awareness.

Turtle Dove in North Yorkshire © Richard Baines

We are lucky to have a small population of Turtle Doves in the North York Moors National Park and Howardian Hills. Having arrived in spring they will shortly be starting their huge journey back to Africa for the winter.  

However, our small population is dependent on the survival and growth of the larger population in Europe. Sadly, Turtle Doves have declined by 93% since the 1970’s. This has been caused by a decline in their only food source, native wild flower seed, and in unsustainable levels of hunting in southern Europe.

A shot Turtle Dove taken into care on the flyway

If we don’t look after the core areas in Europe our local population will disappear. We must act both locally and globally if we wish to save these birds.

Over the next 10 months I aim to raise as much money as possible to help Birdlife International set up innovative projects across the Mediterranean to end this barbaric hunting. Year of the Dove is a campaign which concludes in May 2022 which aims to;

• Spotlight the plight of the Turtle Dove across their range via a global publicity campaign
• Pressurise and lobby decision-makers to change and reinforce legal protection across the flyway and beyond 
• Raise vital funds for BirdLife Cyprus to combat the slaughter of Turtle Doves via innovative, on-the-ground initiatives and projects

Champions of the Flyway working with local communities across the flyway

To help me raise funds for BirdLife International’s ‘Year of the Dove’ campaign and/or share my story with others; Click Here  

To find out more about Year of the Dove; Click Here

Richard Baines

Yorkshire Coast Nature