Perdix perdix.

[JDog]

This covey just sat alongside me whilst I was glassing the rape for pigeons. I believe there are eight.

This year has been the best year since 1976 for wild Grey partridges and indeed wild pheasants in the Eastern counties. The largest covey I saw contained twenty members but I thought that I saw three adults in the party. There are many coveys of eight to twelve still about in places. I had a double at wild Greys on a game shoot recently so I will not be chasing any more.

 

[ditchman]

i usually report that i have seen greys around here every year....................................this year i have not seen one ...so-far

[Clodhopper]

Whilst I agree that the Greys have had a very good year. I was disappointed with the numbers of wild pheasants. At harvest I did not see the numbers of broods I would have expected and they have not materialised since then.

[Jason_ox]

I agree, we have never before had greys on our 500acres, this year our first covey was seen! 

[NatureBoy]

Same in Mid Suffolk Jdog! Small coveys still holding there own on several farms around there. See them most outings. Think fewer buzzards about helping to. Plus we were able to hit the crow population hard during the hot dry spell. Several woodcock about to. Seeing more lapwing and golden plover about on the fields than i have for many years. Most hedges nearly stripped if berries now. Pigeons starting to get on the rape now it's getting knocked back. But not many around this way and most finding there way in to game covers. Local ringers were still catching and ringing chiffchaff and blackcap last month.    NB

[squirrelhall]

Was ploughing in the dark many years ago and a covey was jugging on the stubble I ploughed right past them . Next time round Ihad to stop  and give them  a poke or I would have ploughed them in

[Novice]

On 19/12/2018 at 15:37, squirrelhall said:

Was ploughing in the dark many years ago and a covey was jugging on the stubble I ploughed right past them . Next time round Ihad to stop  and give them  a poke or I would have ploughed them in

I guess nocturnal ploughing is one of the farming practices that hasn't done the species many favours...

[marsh man]

Lovely to still see a covey enjoying life , I wonder if there parents started life in the incubator ?

We had about 30 / 40 reared ones a few years that never really increased in numbers.

Each shoot day during the pep talk the guns were always told to leave the English Partridges alone and at the time they were putting 5 / 6000 French birds down so the odd mistake happened now and again .

On this particular day the guns were given the talk and one of the guns had done very little shooting at driven game so the keeper asked me to keep an eye on the gun for safety reasons , he was a nice bloke and I stood with him after I had put the other guns on there pegs , safety wise he was o k but shooting wise he couldn't hit a barn door with shooting on four drives before dinner and nothing to show for it , after dinner I left him to get on with it and during the drive one of the beaters shouted out ENGLISH PARTRIDGES , I could see these as they kept themselves to themselves in a tight bunch when they went over the hedge , a volley of shots went off at various French birds and then I saw them fly past the gun who hadn't shot a bird all morning , he gave them a couple of shots and three fell out , all stone dead and the only birds he had shot all day , after a bit of leg pulling the keeper let him have the three to take home , although I think the keeper was well rewarded ☺️ 

[aga man]

The finest of all the gamebirds I reckon, great to see them doing well, long may it continue.