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Dove Step 2 – a 700 mile journey for Turtle Doves!

Dove Step 2 – a 700 mile journey for Turtle Doves will commence in April 2015.

Following the successful completion of Dove Step 1, a 300 mile walk for Turtle Doves in April 2014, we are back and upping the ante!

Dove Step 1 saw us navigate 300 miles of the summer range of Turtle Doves in the UK. Starting at Lakenheath Fen RSPB in Suffolk and finishing our trek 13 days later at Saltholme RSPB reserve in the north east.

In covering the 300 miles with marathon distances daily we also gave talks on Dove Step, Turtle Doves and Operation Turtle Dove at RSPB Frampton Marsh and upon arrival at the Saltholme RSPB reserve. Raising awareness for Operation Turtle Dove was as much our goal as covering the distance.

Dove Step 1 saw us raise £3 000 (inclusive of Gift Aid) for use by the RSPB and allocated to the OTD-X habitat creation funding. This stream of funds goes directly to installing Turtle Dove friendly habitat, planted with seed bearing species offering food to Turtle Doves upon their arrival to the UK in Spring and thereafter throughout the breeding season.

The £3 000 raised via Dove Step 1 equates to 9 hectares / 90 000 square meters of habitat creation for summering Turtle Doves. These are figures we are incredibly proud of and which drive us on to try harder and go further!

Dove Step 2 sees us considerably raise the bar. Having become comfortable with daily marathon distances we will now increase our training and output to join up our starting point in Suffolk with the Spanish birder. Covering France in its entirety; some 700 miles.

Having covered the core of the UK range it seems only right that we now turn our attention to the neighbouring range of Turtle Dove and also their Afro -European migratory route. To this end we will kayak 25 miles down the east coast, cycle over 500 miles of France and walk the remaining 175 or so miles to the Spanish border.

Dove Step 2 – our take on a triathlon – a 700 mile journey for Turtle Doves!