A CONSERVATION project has been set up in Maldon to help save a species of bird on the brink of extinction.

The Turtle Dove Friendly Zone, the first of its kind in Essex, has been set up by the RSPB in Maldon.

The project is part of Operation Turtle Dove, a multi-partner project which aims to save turtle doves from extinction in the UK.

The doves were once common in British countryside, where their distinctive “turr-turr” call was once called the sound of summer.

However, in the last 20 years, the country has lost more than 94 per cent of its breeding turtle doves.

More than half the UK’s remaining turtle doves breed in East Anglia, with “hotspots” in parts of Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.

The Maldon Turtle Dove Friendly Zone is one such hotspot.

The protection zone is covers the south bank of the River Blackwater, Promenade Park, Heybridge Basin, and the north of the district including Tolleshunt and Tollesbury.

It is hoped that bringing together people to manage land within the Turtle Dove Friendly Zone for turtle doves will help to create more habitat for the threatened birds outside of nature reserves, in the wider Essex countryside.

Marc Outten, Reserves Manager (South) for Essex Wildlife Trust, said: “Parts of Essex remain something of a stronghold for this wonderful species - it’s great that through collaborative partnerships and specific habitat management we can boost the battle to reverse the turtle dove’s bleak fortunes.

“This year saw turtle doves visiting a number of Essex Wildlife Trust reserves, including a pair that successfully bred at Abbotts Hall Farm, home to our main offices, regular sightings from Fingringhoe Wick and Chigborough Lakes and a remarkable record of 14 birds spotted at Wrabness.”

Emma Stobart, RSPB and Operation Turtle Dove farm conservation officer, said: “Only by restoring lost habitat in the wider countryside and farmed landscape can we hope to turn things around for turtle doves.

“Fortunately, there are lots of farmers and landowners already doing this. Bringing them together to pool their knowledge, experience and enthusiasm, and encouraging others to do what they can to help, will make these efforts all the more effective.”

Visit www.operationturtledove.org.