I subsequently learned that there was a common crane recorded at Rodmell on 28 April, one at Arundel on 29 April, and one at Lidsey (north of Bognor) on 30 April. Quite possibly all the same bird.
I can add that a pair of turtle doves have returned to their regular feeding ground in a garden at the north end of the village. We are lucky to have perhaps two or three pairs of this species around the parish – a species that is reckoned to be the fastest declining species in the UK and likely to be lost as a breeding species within the next 10 years. In this case the birds are coming to seed put out for birds in general and, while the threats to turtle doves have concentrated on problems in their migrations, a lack of suitable seed around during the breeding season is now considered a significant problem for them here.
Tony Hutson
I can add that a pair of turtle doves have returned to their regular feeding ground in a garden at the north end of the village. We are lucky to have perhaps two or three pairs of this species around the parish – a species that is reckoned to be the fastest declining species in the UK and likely to be lost as a breeding species within the next 10 years. In this case the birds are coming to seed put out for birds in general and, while the threats to turtle doves have concentrated on problems in their migrations, a lack of suitable seed around during the breeding season is now considered a significant problem for them here.
Tony Hutson