The Lincolnshire Bird Club

This morning I was doing my usual autumn partridge count on a farm at Woodhall. At about 08.00 I was driving along a cereal stubble strip between miscanthus on one side and opium poppies on the other. I was astonished when a flock of turtle doves flew up from the poppy field and landed on overhead wires above the miscanthus, where they sat preening. There were nine birds on the wires, of which four were 1st cy. I went back at about 08.30 to see if I could identify their food source. There were still some birds on the wires and some more flew up as I was watching, bringing the total to twelve. Papaveraceae (poppy) seeds are not listed in BWP as a food of turtle dove but I did not find any abundant weed in the crop.

It must be over 20 years since I have seen this number of turtle doves together in this area.

John

An excellent find John. Turtle doves are are very partial to Oilseed rape fields post harvest so I am sure they find poppy seed equally appetising full of oil and protein ready for the imminent journey. As they were Opium poppies I suppose you could call it a 'Dove Rave'!

How did you find the partridges have fared this year? I am slightly disappointed with what I am finding considering the settled weather in late June/early July when I was hoping for good survival rates.

Thanks Mike,

Yes, a real surprise, though it would have been unremarkable at this time of year twenty five or thirty years ago. A sad state of affairs for one of my favourite birds. My only previous sighting this year was of a presumed pair between Walcott and Billinghay in the spring.

As for partridges, a bit disappointing for me as well. In March I counted seven pairs of greys and four pairs and a single red-legged.

Last week I found: Greys, four pairs and a single female with a total of eighteen young (pr + 2, single + 5, pr +2, 2pr + 9).
Red-legged, 19 adults + 4 young (coveys of 6 ad, 4 ad + 4, 1 ad, 3 ad, 5 ad)

John