Good hedgerow management for the turtle dove will create/result in tall hedges which provide nesting habitat close to good feeding habitat such as flower-rich field margins. This management will benefit many other seed-eating species, including finches such as greenfinches, goldfinches and yellowhammers and small mammals such as harvest mice.
Opportunities to create/improve/extend suitable habitat for this species include:
- Restoring overgrown/neglected hedgerows by hedge-laying or coppicing and planting up gaps
- Extending the hedge management cycle to allow hedges to grow taller and wider, and hedgerow fruits and berries to ripen
- Planting new hedgerows, including hawthorn or blackthorn in the shrub species mix
- Encouraging the growth of native climbers in the hedgerows
- Planting hedgerow trees
- Floristically enhancing associated field margins and sowing nectar flower mixes to increase seed provision
Creating and managing areas for the Turtle dove will help deliver the following benefits to communities:
- Clean water
- Clean air
- Protection from and mitigation of environmental hazards
- Mitigation of and adaptation to climate change
- Thriving plants and wildlife
- Beauty, heritage and engagement