05/05/2016 Rufous Turtle Dove at Otford

Thursday 5 May 2016
Otford Kent
18.30 to 19.15

Acting on Paul's advice, Shaun and  I ventured up to Otford in Kent to twitch the rufous turtle dove.  Apparently the bird has been there since February but the sighting was suppressed for some time and only recently went global.

We had to wait about 20 minutes before getting our first view - low in the favoured apple tree and only visible to people my height or more because of the obstruction caused by fence line.  However it soon moved to a higher perch in the bare tree to the right and everyone was able to enjoy good, if somewhat distant views.

Rufous Turtle Dove
Courtesy of KOS

This was only my second "lifer" of the year. 

Well worth the drive in the evening sunshine.

Wikipedia

This species is a rare vagrant to northern and western Europe. A 1986 review by Erik Hirschfeld in Dutch Birding listed around 30 records, mostly in autumn and winter.  Prior to this, it had been suggested that European records referred to escapes from captivity, because of their tameness, the distance from the species' normal breeding range, the suburban habitat of many of the records, and their winter timing; Hirschfeld presented counter-arguments to all these points, and today it is generally accepted that most if not all rufous turtle doves in Europe are wild birds.

In 1994, the British Birds Rarities Committee reviewed the British records of this species and concluded that three of the eight accepted records should no longer stand.  The Oriental turtle dove has occurred a number of times since, including a well-watched bird in Oxfordshire in February 2011, which was found in a birdwatcher's garden. The house owner used the opportunity to charge a £5 fee to view the bird from his kitchen window and up to 500 people queued to see the bird.

Addition to BUBO 2016 UK Year List:

rufous turtle dove   (201)

Addition to BUBO UK Life List:

rufous turtle dove   (310)