Turtle Dove saviours are set for Spanish fund-raising journey

The recently announced 93% decline in Turtle Dove numbers has hardened resolve at the Dove Step campaign headquarters. Despite the ‘black cloud’ that descended on founder Jonny Rankin upon hearing the news, he is even more determined to continue the journey that he and Robert Yaxley started in 2013, and help save this once common visitor to our shores. The Dove Steppers have already walked, kayaked and cycled more than a thousand miles of the Turtle Dove’s migration route, raising thousands of pounds and connecting the dove’s English breeding range to the Spanish border. Now they are set for the next stage; the journey across Spain. Walking from Tarifa beach in the south of the country to Gijon in the north-west, the team will cover the entire distance in just 31 days, walking more than 25 miles a day. During this, Dove Step will be raising awareness and funds for Operation Turtle Dove, set up by the RSPB to try to reverse the decline of this iconic species before it disappears altogether. Visit dovestep3.wordpress.com or justgiving.com./fundraising/ Dovestep3