AK14 Reference Only III - Turtle Dove

Reference only series (on vintage ornithological bird record books).
I first stumbled across a small collection of Somerset Ornithological Society bird records about 6 years ago at a local second-hand bookshop.
These small A5 pamphlets are labours of love, from the bird watching and recording to the typed pages. Each bird is listed with a short description, dated sightings, location and numbers seen.
These local enthusiast’s records have played a huge part in us understanding the state of our bird population and sadly record the dramatic decline in many of our once common birds.
These ornithological record books have been produced across the UK and I have slowly collected some from areas which have featured birds within this collection.
The 3 pieces in this ‘Reference Only’ series feature pages of these books as a background. The concept is simple, if action isn’t taken soon to protect these birds and their environment, future generations may only be able to see them in the pages of a Reference book.

The turtle dove is featured within vintage paper oak leaves, referencing ancient woodland.
This beautiful, dainty dove is slightly larger than a blackbird and far smaller and darker than the collared dove. Turtle doves are migratory, heading off to Africa in the winter. When they arrive in the UK in spring, they build nests in hedgerows and scrub.
The turtle dove’s gentle purr is an evocative sound of summer but has become increasingly rare following rapid and sustained population declines. One cause of the decline is believed to be the lack of seed and grain during the breeding season, resulting in a much shorter breeder season with fewer nesting attempts.
Now lost from many former haunts, including many within its East Anglian stronghold, there is every chance of us losing the turtle dove as a breeding species.

Framed H 45 x W 48.5 cm