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| Red-legged Partridge on Allden's Hill |
On 9th May 2011 I saw my last Turtle Dove in the UK. It was close to home too. I remember it fairly clearly - an individual flying north-west over Busbridge Woods (near Hydon's Ball), in the direction of Juniper Valley, which was a fairly decent site for them in previous years. Until that point I had seen a few in Surrey. Never loads, but my old record book tells me Court Farm in Hambledon, Chiddingfold and Hascombe held Turtle Doves in the summer during the late 1990's and early 2000's.
In 2016, their terrifyingly rapid decline renders them hard to see locally. Since my last bird in 2011 there have been a handful of regular birds in Surrey, but in the last couple of years less and less so, more often individuals passing through places than on territory. To my knowledge, there was one Surrey record in 2015, and that was through Beddington. This year has been slightly better, with at least 2 reported so far (West Horsley and little Bookham Common), and encouraged I decided to visit the haunts at which I've seen them before, today.
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| No Turtle Doves here... |
I have held out hope of seeing one on my patch but in truth only small fragments of habitat are suitable, so my best bet is a flyover. Today it was very quiet - the Nightingale wasn't heard for a second consecutive day (maybe it's gone), a pair of
Red-legged Partridges showed well whilst feeding but there was no flyover Lammergeier. So, the first stop was the scene of my last Turtle Dove, and Juniper Valley. A Firecrest was singing from the car park at Hydon's Ball, but a walk to and back from the southern end of Juniper Valley produced little.
It was then through Hydestile/Shad Well, where there were reports of birds in the late 2010's, but again nothing. Court Farm, where I have had them before, and where one was purring in 2010, but again, nothing, just Woodpigeons. The journey then continued into the far south of the county, where the farmland spreads out, itself such a rare sight in Surrey. Woods and streams meet arable fields and cottages, and the habitat really does look good, from Court Farm pretty much all the way down to Chiddingfold, on Vann Road.
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| ...or here. The search continues |
Ultimately, however, I didn't find a Turtle Dove today. A flock of 5 Collared Doves near Pockford Farm had me going for a minute, the birds flying from wires down into a garden to feed. Here looked perfect, and I was very pleased to hear Skylarks and Yellowhammers as I paced the road looking for my target. I will definitely be back here, and I'll also be checking out Tugley Wood soon. I'm determined to find a Surrey Turtle Dove in 2016, before it's too late.
