Bog Myrtle & Peat

Alongside changing circumstances, I could soon be in a position to return to some unfinished business. Long-term readers will remember my work with grey partridges in 2012-2015, alongside the various sagas which accompanied the birds as they adapted to life in the hills. I still believe that a sustained level of release would have started to tip the balance, but growing work commitments and other projects intervened to a point at which partridges could no longer be supported. Tantalisingly, some of the released birds continued on the hill for two or three years and provided all kinds of evidence to suggest that they could prosper in the rushy hill margins.

GWCT research into hill partridges in Teesdale shows what a fine line these birds occupy in the uplands, and poor weather during the breeding season can totally annihilate promising stocks. Historically, grey partridges were a sporting staple for the moorland margins in Galloway, and judging by the results achieved by a couple of local enthusiasts, it is possible to establish a toehold for the birds in this part of Scotland. I’m devoted to these birds, and I can’t help thinking that some strategic thinking and a bit of determined co-ordination could set up a foundation of coveys across a sufficiently large scale to be viable.

Dipping a toe in the water, I wonder if any visitors to this blog can suggest a place to buy decent quality grey partridge eggs this spring? I’m happy to pick up eggs online and have had some success when I have bought them from a game farm in Northamptonshire in the past, but any “insider” hints would be greatly appreciate, particularly if they can be found a little closer to home. It’s still a while until eggs become available and I may even be better looking for a captive pair or two at this stage, but let this serve for now as an indicator of thoughts and plans behind the scenes…