Partridge conservation

Hi Ben. I have a private grey partridge conservation project on my farm. I think the best thing you can do is talk to neighbours about doing the basics, such as creating some habitat through a stewardship scheme, pest control and feeding. Without having neighbours on board you’ll end up exporting partridges over the boundary in successful years to be picked off/mown off/lose broods through lack of feed opportunities.
What would be your plan with any donations you receive?
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
The farm I ran until last summer had a grey partridge recovery project, with the aim of boosting many species, not just greys. The owner shot 80 brace last September which was part of his enjoyment for investing heavily in this. Many people don't understand why owners shoot but the reality is that much of the conservation work is led by shooting & the yields are so low that biodiversity still has a massive net gain.

What are your aims for this? I can't see anyone wanting to fund a shoot...

On a more practical level, the GWCT has a lot of knowledge & a trip to Loddington would be essential if you haven't done this already. Farmer clusters are a great way to get landscape level participation in conservation work. I was part of the Martin Down cluster.

 

Man_in_black

Member
Livestock Farmer
Hi Ben. I have a private grey partridge conservation project on my farm. I think the best thing you can do is talk to neighbours about doing the basics, such as creating some habitat through a stewardship scheme, pest control and feeding. Without having neighbours on board you’ll end up exporting partridges over the boundary in successful years to be picked off/mown off/lose broods through lack of feed opportunities.
What would be your plan with any donations you receive?

The donations would predominantly be for more hoppers & to plant cover crops. Thanks for input 👍. Neighbours are largely on board in the sense they farm with good grass margins, hedges etc. I'm only one feeding though. I carry out all the pest control, foxing, larson & tunnel trapping.
 

Man_in_black

Member
Livestock Farmer
The farm I ran until last summer had a grey partridge recovery project, with the aim of boosting many species, not just greys. The owner shot 80 brace last September which was part of his enjoyment for investing heavily in this. Many people don't understand why owners shoot but the reality is that much of the conservation work is led by shooting & the yields are so low that biodiversity still has a massive net gain.

What are your aims for this? I can't see anyone wanting to fund a shoot...

On a more practical level, the GWCT has a lot of knowledge & a trip to Loddington would be essential if you haven't done this already. Farmer clusters are a great way to get landscape level participation in conservation work. I was part of the Martin Down cluster.


Not intended to shoot, not saying never but certainly no immediate plans. Landowners aren't shooter's. I shoot pests but not so much game. Purely just for the benefits it brings on a larger scale for farmland biodiversity.
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
Fair enough. To get a few more greys isn’t difficult with better habitat. Getting enough for a harvestable surplus without damaging your breeding stock requires exponentially more resources. Perhaps it’s worth considering responses to inevitable questions about shooting?

What is your countryside like? Open, free draining land with only a few trees? Plenty of spring crops with stubbles left over winter? Predator control?
 

tr250

Member
Location
Northants
@man in black have you thought about running a syndicate for pheasants. We have a shoot on our ground group of lads pay for pheasants feed etc one chap does all keepering pest control done some hedge laying this winter too for shelter for his pheasants the grey partridges really benefit from all this and we have several coveys some up to 15 at times. We get a nominal fee and a gun in the shoot the lads get a few days shooting and the partridge get less predators more cover and plentiful feed. But this is a small shoot on a reasonably large acreage it may not work if pheasants are in huge numbers on a big commercial shoot
 

Pilatus

Member
Location
cotswolds
I am sure it would be of interest to TFF members who are interested in your project ,if you could tell us about your farm,size ,etc .Oops I see @Brisel has asked the same question but important if you hope for much useful feed back.
With so many protected species of birds of prey about , I think wild pheasant chicks, wild partridge chicks , leverets, etc don’t stand much chance of surviving.
I can’t remember the last time I saw a hen pheasant with a brood of chicks pecking up grit on the side of a country lane, a sad state of affairs. (n)
 
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Forkdriver

Member
Livestock Farmer
When we were in South Lincolnshire there was a lot of wild pheasants. Not many predators though. Also many other interesting birds. Intensive agriculture has not ruined the countryside.
 
Where in Notts are you

since going notill growing cover crops and stewardship my farms have more greys
now do not use insecticide have plenty of spring crops and over winter covers and stubble

inscects need encouraging
a pile of cow muck in every field would help a lot
one farm i contract farm on has dairy cows and muck rotated round and the most greys

the biggest factor is summer weather at chick hatch and predictor control
 
The donations would predominantly be for more hoppers & to plant cover crops. Thanks for input 👍. Neighbours are largely on board in the sense they farm with good grass margins, hedges etc. I'm only one feeding though. I carry out all the pest control, foxing, larson & tunnel trapping.
Have you got any old drums you can wash out well and chisel slots into? Cheaper than buying feeders at £30 a time.
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
Have you got any old drums you can wash out well and chisel slots into? Cheaper than buying feeders at £30 a time.

This.

Put some stock netting around the base so larger birds cannot get through to feed e.g. pheasants. A trail camera will show you what is using them. Badgers will just lift it up but there's nothing you can do about that. Deer can tip the feeders over too, so securing the lids will help. The GWCT link I posted has a picture of the netting around the feeders.
 

Man_in_black

Member
Livestock Farmer
Where in Notts are you

since going notill growing cover crops and stewardship my farms have more greys
now do not use insecticide have plenty of spring crops and over winter covers and stubble

inscects need encouraging
a pile of cow muck in every field would help a lot
one farm i contract farm on has dairy cows and muck rotated round and the most greys

the biggest factor is summer weather at chick hatch and predictor control

Near Cotgrave.

I carry out the predator control. Fox year round but especially hard now. Have larsons (not catching as many crows as I'd like, plenty of magpies.) Tunnel traps in all likely nesting sites.
 

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quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

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