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 readingGuest blog by Dr John Mallord, Senior Conservation Scientist, RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Titan our 2014-16 satellite tagged Turtle dove was a superstar; the first UK-breeding turtle dove that was followed on its entire migratory journey from his breeding grounds in Suffolk to Mali and back again – and back to Mali a second […]
Continue readingDid you see last night’s episode of The One Show on BBC 1? At the end of the programme we were treated to stunning footage of turtle doves at Glebe Farm in Norfolk. The farm is part of Operation Turtle Dove and special habitats have been created to provide valuable nesting and foraging areas for […]
Continue readingBird 161004 is waiting to follow in the slip stream of Titan, the first turtle dove to be tracked from his breeding grounds in the UK to his wintering grounds in Africa and back, and needs a name! 161004 is one of 6 newly satellite tagged turtle doves, which were fitted with light weight backpack […]
Continue readingSix new satellite tagged birds to build on legacy of Titan – the first UK turtle dove tracked to Africa and back Six turtle doves are being satellite tracked from their breeding grounds in the UK to their wintering grounds in West Africa, to help scientists better understand why numbers are crashing so rapidly. According […]
Continue readingRSPB volunteer Heather allowed the RSPB Science team to catch and tag a turtle dove in her garden in 2014. Heather named the bird Titan, from Greek mythology – a god of strength, based on her observations of the dominant nature of the bird as he fed and chased females in her garden. Titan has […]
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Well done to Amie (10), Alice (6) and Owen (6) who are the winners of our Postcard from Titan competition! Titan is a very special satellite tagged Turtle Dove. He has successfully completed three migrations, from his breeding grounds in Suffolk, UK to his wintering quarters in Mali and back again. The information that the RSPB Science […]
Continue readingThis blog from the RSPB’s Technical Development officer, Nigel Butcher, was originally posted on the RSPB Community page. It was with some anxiety and emotion that I left my family early on the morning of the 14th November 2015. My bags were light in clothing but heavy with field kit from radio antennas to the […]
Continue readingWho is Titan? Titan the Turtle Dove is a very special bird. He is the first Turtle Dove to be successfully tracked from his breeding grounds in the East of England to his winter home in sub-Saharan Africa. In the summer of 2014 Titan was fitted with a specially designed satellite tag, weighing just 4.9 […]
Continue readingGuest blog by Dr John Mallord, Senior Conservation Scientist at the RSPB Centre for Conservation Science. As you may have guessed, now that you have put away your T-shirts and shorts, autumn is well and truly here. You have probably already seen swallows lined up on telegraph wires, readying themselves to head south. And our other migrant […]
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