Our February Farm Cluster Pub Night will be with Mark Nowers of the RSPB. Mark will update us on his highly successful project Operation Turtle Dove, working with farmers and landowners to create turtle dove habitat in Essex and south Suffolk. The River Blackwater catchment is a stronghold for turtle doves, and many farmers have worked with Mark to create habitat for this endangered species on their farm. With several turtle dove sites established at the lower end of the Blackwater, Mark will talk about how farmers can help increase the number of these birds making their way into the upper Blackwater and Pant, through supplementary feeding and habitat creation. He will also talk us through the funding available to support farmers to do this work.

We will be following up this event with a farm walk at a farm with established and well used turtle dove habitat in the lower Blackwater in the late spring/early summer, when the birds return from their winter in sub-Saharan West Africa.

To book tickets please click on the link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/north-essex-farm-cluster-pub-nights-operation-turtle-dove-tickets-731863943757?aff=oddtdtcreator