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Homes for birds & bats
Dozens of bird and bat boxes installed at nine TransPennine Express stations to provide new habitats for wildlife.
24 March 2025
Doves, one of the most threatened birds in the UK, are known for their appearance in ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ song – and now they have been given the gift of hope from a record 112 dedicated volunteers – a 9% increase from last year.
By working alongside farmers, landowners and conservation advisors as part of Operation Turtle Dove, volunteers help provide better nesting and feeding habitat for the rare birds and monitor their numbers across southern and eastern England.
With 2025 being the best year yet for the number of active volunteers, the additional support brings renewed hope for this iconic species.
Turtle doves have plummeted in the UK, with a 98% decline between 1995 and 2023.
They are the UK’s only migratory dove, easily recognised by their orangey-brown and black patterned back.
Their namesake soft ‘turr-turr’ song can now only be heard in small pockets of southern and eastern England, their strongholds in the UK.
Turtle doves spend their winter in West Africa before migrating back to our shores for spring and summer to breed.
Following their sharp decline, hunting was stopped during 2021 in France, Spain and Portugal.
This resulted in no birds being taken for four years and in that time the western European population increased by over 30%.
With more birds likely to be reaching our shores in future years, efforts are accelerating to make sure that there is plenty of quality breeding habitat for when they arrive.
Operation Turtle Dove is a partnership between the RSPB, Natural England, Pensthorpe Conservation Trust and Fair to Nature.
Work to create the perfect nesting and feeding conditions is a collaborative effort, with the RSPB’s dedicated Turtle Dove advisors supporting farmers, landowners and communities in their efforts to help get the UK landscape ‘turtle dove ready’.
‘This is my second year of volunteering with the RSPB and it’s hugely motivating to know that we can help these beautiful birds. By encouraging people to make small changes on their land, we can create the perfect conditions for feeding and potentially breeding.
‘My teenage son also volunteers with me, and it’s been great sharing the project with him. Everyone involved really believes in what they’re doing, and it feels like a huge privilege to be a part of it.’
JAMES CLISSOLD
An Operation Turtle Dove volunteer
The volunteer network plays a crucial role in the project with the monitoring programme. This year, volunteers set up trail cameras across 78 sites, of which 23 recorded turtle doves.
The cameras capture thousands of images that volunteers meticulously check for signs of doves.
By dedicating their free time, volunteer power means more turtle dove habitat can be identified for targeted conservation work.
The cameras detected at least 28 different species in total, including Red-listed and Amber-listed farmland birds such as corn bunting, greenfinch, linnet, yellowhammer and stock dove.
The data show that a spectrum of species benefit from conservation measures and provide farmers hope that their efforts are valuable to not only turtle doves but other threatened species.
‘The ambition of the communities and landowners we work with to help save these iconic birds is nothing short of amazing, and if we continue with this momentum, it won’t be long before we can expect to see Turtle Dove numbers starting to rise across the UK.’
RICK BAYNE
Senior project manager for Operation Turtle Dove
Monitoring efforts are vital for understanding how the doves are faring when they return to breed.
With only 2,100 turtle dove breeding territories left in the UK, according to the 2021 National Turtle Dove survey, the information can inform further conservation efforts.
As changes to the UK’s farmed landscape have made it increasingly difficult for farmland birds, including turtle doves, supporting farmers and local communities is vital.
‘We are looking ahead to the next National Turtle Dove Survey planned for 2027. We are hopeful that monitoring efforts, alongside effective conservation at scale across the whole of the turtle dove migration flyway, will have helped us to turn a corner for this bird.
‘Ten years ago, the prospects for turtle doves looked bleak: plummeting populations and little sign of being able to fix either their breeding habitats or very high, and clearly unsustainable levels of hunting. But through collaboration, focus and persistence we have developed and implemented measures for a more optimistic future. We are hopeful that we will see the results of this dedication in 2027’s national survey results.’
RICK BAYNE
Senior project manager for Operation Turtle Dove
It takes a team to help nature recover, so the RSPB has launched a winter appeal to raise funds and ensure turtle doves aren’t just for Christmas.
Donations will support vital year-round conservation work for this much-loved species and other wildlife at risk. Click here for more.
More than 13,000 people volunteer for the RSPB, taking action to make a positive impact for nature and the environment.
To find out more about how you can get involved in volunteering with the RSPB to help benefit turtle doves and other amazing wildlife, click here.
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