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Put that into context.At Holkham in Norfolk in 1920 the record wild grey partridge shot in a day was 1621 birds by a team of guns. One day of many in a shooting season. There wasn’t the predators or pesticides in those days.
A fascinating research approach. These ground-nesting birds really are chancers, but I guess they need to be, just to survive. That Curlew and its nest are so isolated there, right in the middle of nowhere. Best wishes , Tony.
Loss of habitat on farm land is just one reason you don’t see as many partridge. I’ve noticed once all the rough areas of grass and hedges have gone you hardly see the partridge.
I have not seen any wild Grey Partridge in years. Up till mid 70s there was always a few Greys about. I don’t remember seeing any since the early 80s and they were reared and released. I don’t know if the increase in Hawks etc, has an impact on the population.
I came from a village in Derbyshire called Mastin moor I shot some land round it in the sixties up to 1990s one part of the land wasn’t farmed very well a lot of overgrown grass and plenty of hedges one field about 3 acres I can never remember the grass being cut very long overgrown the it was a favourite roosting place for grey partridge .i could go out any day and shoot a brace .you could put several coveys up any day of the week .i had the greatest respect for this bird I think it’s the most sporting bird I always kept the Covid’s down especially magpies .then towards the mid eighties I started to notice a decline in the partridge .do I never shot them I think one reason was that one farm started to rip hedges up and made big fields . I used to love to hear than calling each other up at night ,but now there isn’t a bird on the land hasn’t been for several years I do miss them we must keep this bird I think they should make the season shorter ie don’t start shooting till oct .yours in sport des
Oh look, you can see my house from there! If Eddie Norfolk wasn't already a Duke, they should give him a knighthood! What an incredible effort and such dedication shown by all on the estate plus GWCT. How better to show respect for the memory and respect of the peerless Dick Potts. Congratulations. I've been trying to get my small syndicate to move across to reintroducing grey's to our part of the West Sussex Weald. I would be interested on thoughts around badger impact on the grey and other ground nesting birds that benefit from remarkable efforts such as this.
Badgers can be a problem yes, but I'd argue that if there was more organic matter in the soil, thus in turn more earthworms and grubs for the badgers to feed on, nest predation wouldn't be such a problem. Don't forget, the grey partridge lays the largest clutch of any native bird in the uk, so a few good years would see a massive increase in numbers. Habitat and all year round food is the issue, herbicides and pesticides are more an issue than badgers.
Some really fine poetry came from that Great War generation. Despite the hardships they often endured back in the Edwardian era, I still believe they were far better times, especially in unspoiled, rural England, our beautiful Green and Pleasant Land.
You may save a good deal of investment in the riparian restoration by not cutting the bank back, but inserting willow / alder stobs into the existing bank at an angle. That angle will depend on the physical integrity of the soil. I personally enjoy a light elegant treatment of the land so I can sit back and watch it grow.
Perhaps they're being poisoned by all the chemicals that are poisoning humans? If our water and food is laced with PFAS, PCBs and biocides then its the same for wildlife. The effects are sickness and infertility.
I live in a city and see less baby birds across the board, I have noticed this since the pandemic when lots of 5G towers went up, while we were all locked up in our homes. Have you considered the possibility of 5G microwaves preventing egg formation in our precious bird population?
