A kind-hearted fisherman has halted trips for tourists after finding a dove’s nest on his boat.

Eray Dursun, 40 – who runs a tour company in Mudanya, in the north-western Turkish province of Bursa – says he has not taken his boat out to sea once since discovering the nest and will keep it anchored in the marina until all the chicks are fledged.

Dursun told how he had returned from a 12-day hunting holiday when he found the nest.

He added: “We were putting the fishing nets on the boat with my friends, about to go to sea, when we came across such a thing and our hearts could not take it.”

He said he will use the boat again when the eggs hatch and the chicks fly away.

Dursun said doves nest for between 15 and 17 days and the younglings start feeding on the 18th day.

He added: “Once they can flap their wings, they take their place in nature.

“Our boat will remain anchored for the time being and I will not move it for any reason. It has already been here for 12 days.

“We don’t want to move the boat because we are worried about stressing the dove and stopping it from raising the young.

“When they start to eat and leave our boat, we will continue with our work.”

The animal lover said the same thing happened two years ago and that he was happy to wait on that occasion too.