Wild grey partridge.

[JDog]

On my walk around the fields here near Bircham this morning I saw a barren pair of grey partridge. Par for the course I thought, too many corvids, foxes, badgers and stoats.

 

Round the next corner Jasper poked his head part way through a hedge and there was an explosion of these wonderful birds. I counted both parents and at least eight well grown chicks. This was the first wild brood I have seen for more than thirty years.

[motty]

I very often see nice coveys of greys. There are enough around in some parts that I occasionally shoot one for the table.

[ditchman]

when i used to do the partridge shooting around acle....a couple of farmers used to rear greys and let them loose.....some of them got shot but the vast majority were fine and they continue to slowly spread where the enviroment is suitable for them................

[fenboy]

I see a few coveys most seasons , it must be best part of 25 years since I have shot one though.

[marsh man]

We have got a large covey of reared Greys on the estate, but the wild ones are as rare as a Blue moon , unlike when we had a farm shoot in the scorching hot summer of 1976 .

 

We walked one drive and stood on the next , mainly over stubble and root crops , coveys were in double figures and on every field we went on we put up more than enough to keep the guns happy .

 

Shooting went on from 1pm to when we finished at around 4.30pm and the bag was just on the 100 mark , all wild Grey Partridges , something I am never likely to take part in , or see that many again in my time left .

 

One little note of interest , when we got back to the farm there were loads of Collard Doves around the barns and grain stores , after a shot was fired in the air for the next few minutes they provided constant shooting until they had learnt there lesson and found somewhere quitter and a bit more friendly to enjoy there day. Now you just see the odd ones and not the big bunches you saw back then .

[fenboy]

I am seeing far fewer collard doves than I did a few years ago I do have a couple that seem ever present in my garden and they are by no means rare around here but I think there is more of a balance than there was a few years back when they were almost in plauge proportions .

[marsh man]

I am not sure where the first one ( Collared Dove ) was seen in this country , it might well have been up your way fenboy , but I did read up where the first pair that bread was here in Norfolk in 1955 , at one time along the quayside where they loaded the grain boats there were 100s but like you say they are not rare, but are there enough to warrant them being on the shooting list ? also do anybody still shoot them ?

[Dbw1shrops]

Like you say not the numbers there used to be im surprised that there still on the GL ? I don't shoot them as I think there a nice bird and is it true that they pair up for life ? That's what I was always lead to believe ?

 

Atb Dave

[subsonicnat]

Would not knowingly shoot a Grey these days they are very scarce, and thin on the ground..

it is always worth a second look, just not to shoot one.

Give them a break lads..

[scolopax]

A brood hatched off a month ago on my shoot, seen with parents on track between recently cut silage fields little bumble bees. It poured down for the next two days and the temaparature never got above twelve degrees. I doubt they survived. The weather kills more partridge chicks than vermin.

 

There are still a few around but I never see any wild greys on the serious partridge shoots. The mass release of reared Redlegs has finished the greys off in those places.

[zipdog]

Jdog, it was on the Nickerson estate, in the Lincolnshire wolds where the record bag of 'wild' Grey partridges was shot in a day. Joe Nickerson shot in excess of 2000

[Pushandpull]

English Partridges are still widespread in North and West Norfolk, but not surprisingly they seem to do best on the margins : the coastal strip, organic farms such as Melchett's, and "upland" areas where there is still a bit of old fashioned untidy farming. In the right places where there are insects for the young and small weed seeds they seem to thrive regardless of whether predators are controlled. A wonderful little bird.

[al4x]

Ours seem to do well, we always get a handful shot each season but don't mind as long as it's not excessive. Bearing in mind the farm is 500 acres and they only seem to like half the fact we can see towards 100 on a shoot day suggests a few each season isn't a problem. We hit the foxes and vermin hard and it seems to pay off especially as they are one species the two legged vermin in the area seem to leave alone

[Penelope]

Had one running alongside the car on Saturday as I drove across the rape stubble. Nice to see.

[Whitebridges]

English Partridges are still widespread in North and West Norfolk, but not surprisingly they seem to do best on the margins : the coastal strip, organic farms such as Melchett's, and "upland" areas where there is still a bit of old fashioned untidy farming. In the right places where there are insects for the young and small weed seeds they seem to thrive regardless of whether predators are controlled. A wonderful little bird.

 

Well said. A lot of shoots put in a lot of time, effort and money rearing wild greys. Some of the shoots in these areas have won awards in this respect.

 

If you go to the right places at the right time it's surprising how many you can count.

 

On the subject of Collared Doves, I'm pretty sure it was Michael Seago a well known Norfolk birder that found the first one in Britain. It was somewhere in North Norfolk, possibly Cley. The first breeding pair in Britain was in North Norfolk in 1955.

 

I hope i've got this right!

Edited July 28, 2015 by Whitebridges

[ditchman]

Jdog, it was on the Nickerson estate, in the Lincolnshire wolds where the record bag of 'wild' Grey partridges was shot in a day. Joe Nickerson shot in excess of 2000

 

 

Nickerson was a slaughtering murdering....*******....

[scotslad]

 

 

Nickerson was a slaughtering murdering....*******....

 

He may well of been, but that was wot u done in that era.

But he would also have a large team of keepers controlling vermin, managing the estate/manor so days like that were achievable year on year, far more ecologicaly friendly than 95% of shoots nowadys including DIY syndicates as very few shoots are sustainable now (apart from the grouse)

 

I bet most of the UK's wildlife (including partridges) would have prefered to live in that era where most of the landed gentry where 'murdering ********' as the countryside was thriving and shoots were 100% sustainable, very changed days from now.

[Konnie]

Father came back from walking the dogs Saturday, and found 2 adults and 5 young under his bird table. Very nice to see.

[scolopax]

Heard one or two things about Nickerson, none of them good. His keepers went many miles off the estate to make sure there was not one living thing that could conceivably take a game bird, ie they poached.

 

But the one which I remember most was that he left strict instructions ( forgot the legal term) in his will that only xx shooting days were to be had each season in the future and xxx birds released on his estate. All these restrictions so that his long list of records will never be broken.

 

He also left Reads island on the Humber, where he shot huge bags of wild duck, to the RSPB. Again, he had his 'fun' and seemed desperate that no one else ever should.

Edited August 2, 2015 by scolopax

[Blackpowder]

Wednesday past we were driving up the track on a Lower Tweed salmon beat when an adult partridge emerged from the bean field and ran ahead of us with I think 8 bumble bee sized newly hatched chicks. Chance of survival? I dont know! Years ago and perhaps it still is held that Ascot Week is the main time for grey partridge hatching in Britain.

 

Blackpowder

[JDog]

There used to be marvellous wild grey partridge shooting right on the coast on the sandy land between Coldingham and North Berwick.

[GeorgeWH]

Heard one or two things about Nickerson, none of them good. His keepers went many miles off the estate to make sure there was not one living thing that could conceivably take a game bird, ie they poached.

 

But the one which I remember most was that he left strict instructions ( forgot the legal term) in his will that only xx shooting days were to be had each season in the future and xxx birds released on his estate. All these restrictions so that his long list of records will never be broken.

 

He also left Reads island on the Humber, where he shot huge bags of wild duck, to the RSPB. Again, he had his 'fun' and seemed desperate that no one else ever should.

I very rarely comment on the forum any more, i tend to just read what others write but felt i should just make you aware that almost all of what you have wrote is untrue.

His estate (rothwell) has been realeasing big numbers of partridge for years now and the shooting side of things is no longer ran by the family.

 

And more on topic, great to see wild greys about. Modern farming practices and lack of vermin control have knackered the wild greys in most areas but luckily there is still a few estates dedicated to producing proper wild partridge.

Edited August 10, 2015 by GeorgeWH

[filzee]

On the small shoot we run in Nottinghamshire we have a thriving population of grey partridge. A few get shot each season but not many. They are great to see.

My friend has a large brood which lives round his farm buildings each year.

[kaunda]

For those who may be interested and in the area,the Joseph Nickerson Gallery at The Villa,Rothwell,near Caistor,Lincolshire is open on Sunday 13th September from 1200 to 1600 hours.

You will find there a very comprehensive collection of his family,business,sporting records and memorabilia,all very well displayed with very many photographs and a heavy emphasis on his farming achievements.(There is a good pub a short walk away)

For the record,the bag of english partridges to six guns on the 3rd October 1952 was 1,002 and 1/2 brace,56 pheasants,151 hares,11 rabbits,two pigeons and three various.Keepers recovered a further 52 brace on the following days pick-up.

[JDog]

For those who may be interested and in the area,the Joseph Nickerson Gallery at The Villa,Rothwell,near Caistor,Lincolshire is open on Sunday 13th September from 1200 to 1600 hours.

You will find there a very comprehensive collection of his family,business,sporting records and memorabilia,all very well displayed with very many photographs and a heavy emphasis on his farming achievements.(There is a good pub a short walk away)

For the record,the bag of english partridges to six guns on the 3rd October 1952 was 1,002 and 1/2 brace,56 pheasants,151 hares,11 rabbits,two pigeons and three various.Keepers recovered a further 52 brace on the following days pick-up.

 

If you are going we could meet up. I would be interested to see some of the stuff there.