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By the start of August, fluffy week old chicks have morphed into stroppy teenagers, ready for putting to wood. After all, in five weeks time the partridge season opens, and in 11 weeks the pheasant season starts. The gamekeeper’s love and care produces strong, healthy poults feathered up and more weatherproof, ready to make a go of it in the wood and learn to roost.
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The English partridge (or grey) have been declining in numbers for half a century as farming methods have changed. The Game and Wildlife Conservancy Trust is doing lots of work on increasing the populations. There is a school of thought that says rearing and releasing greys does nothing to increase their population, but there are many who think that by adding reared birds you increase the genetic diversity and the covey sizes, reducing the impact of predation by foxes. Either way, the future of these beautiful birds seems to be on the up and up.
