The sound of summer

IT was good to read Robin Page’s excellent piece on turtle doves, their sad decline and the efforts being made to save them (April 27). Here, we have been most privileged to have had a pair nesting in woodland across our lane for the past two summers, with both birds visiting our feeder in the garden and competing energetically on the lawn with the collared doves and wood pigeons for the sunflower seeds. In fact, on several occasions, they saw off the opposition with no trouble. Hopefully, they may return again this year and we can enjoy once more that soft call so perfect on a warm summer’s evening. Chris Gebbie, East Sussex