Thanks to dedicated research, we know that turtle doves are now far from the chilly UK. They have swapped the hedgerows and fields of the UK countryside for sub-Saharan Africa where you’ll find them in dense Acacia thickets where they roost and open grasslands and fields where the birds feed up. To find out more […]
Continue readingDove Step
Dove Step 3.1 – miles and miles for turtle doves
Over the years, Jonny Rankin has undertaken some incredible challenges, raising much needed funds for turtle dove conservation. September 2019 saw him take on his latest adventure… At 18:25 on Friday 6th September 2019, Dove Step team mates Nick Moran and Jonny Rankin cycled into Kilnsea for the Spurn Migration Festival (Migfest), some twelve hours […]
Continue reading
Jonny Rankin’s Dove Step date with Angela & RSPB scientists
On the 14th July I spent a day in the field with RSPB scientists tracking a satellite tagged Turtle Dove 161002, also known as Angela. Angela was one of ten Turtle Doves satellite tagged in 2016, but the only one still transmitting by the summer of 2017. Bird 161005, named Lawford, after its favoured village […]
Continue reading
All For The Love of a Dove
Thank you to Robert Yaxley for this update on the Dove Step 3 Challenge from Spain… As you read this, Jonny Rankin and myself with the help of support drivers Sven Wair and Malcolm Fairley will be halfway through a monumental physical walking challenge. The march from Tarifa to Gijon, crossing mainland Spain from south […]
Continue reading
Just 48 hours until the Dove Step team embark on an epic walk to save the Turtle Dove
It is our pleasure to invite Jonny Rankin to give this guest blog today as he is busy making last minute preparations for his next incredible fundraising journey. I type this just 2 days away from our next Dove Step journey; our most daunting yet. We have deliberately made each fundraising effort something suitably […]
Continue reading
Anatom Sponsors 700 Mile Walk across Spain to Raise Funds for RSPB Turtle Dove Conservation Campaign
Leading footwear brand Anatom is pleased to support the ‘Dove Step’ Turtle Dove conservation campaign by providing kit to fundraisers Robert Yaxley and Jonny Rankin, who will carry out a 700 mile trek across Spain in just one month to raise much needed funds and awareness for the endangered Turtle Dove. Dove Step is a […]
Continue reading1000 miles in memory of Martha – job done!
A guest blog from turtle dove hero Tristan Reid about his amazing marathon running efforts, fundraising for Operation Turtle Dove… I have a bit of a track record of biting off more than I can chew, but it is amazing how much I can fit in my gob if I try really hard! Back in […]
Continue readingWildlife heroes go the extra mile for turtle doves
Tomorrow (26th October), two wildlife heroes are going the extra mile – literally – to help support the effort to save one of England’s most threatened birds – the turtle dove. This spring Jonny Rankin, who lives in Bury St Edmunds, walked marathon distances every 24 hours for 13 days. Johnny’s fellow fundraiser, Tristan Reid, […]
Continue reading