Grey Partridge News

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Issue 29: Autumn 2018

Introduction INSIDE THIS ISSUE Back in mid-June I was very excited for wild partridge prospects, everything was coming together very nicely with a settled period of warm, dry weather and mild nights. That was Page 1 Introduction; Going wild before the six-week heatwave which dried everything out including a lot of the host plants for restoration in Dorset; Events that the chick-food invertebrates feed on. Wild partridges in Britain usually find sufficient moisture in their environment so Pages 2-3 Partridge Count providing water is not necessary. This summer though there has been a noticeable lack of Scheme update moisture; it has felt much more like a dry continental environment. Some farms and shoots Page 4 Spring traps; Group news have experimented with providing water and the partridges and lots of other wildlife have been readily using it, in the same way as they do on the continent. Despite the unusual weather, there are lots of reports of sizeable partridge broods coming in so we remain hopeful that it is going to be a good year. Of course, until we get out there and do a proper East Anglian count we are just guessing so we very much look forward to receiving your counts over the next month or so! Partridge Roger Draycott, Head of Advisory Group 6 September 2018

Going wild for restoration in Dorset Farm walk at 2017 trophy winners, Thirty-eight partridge enthusiasts from the Wessex Partridge Group and local farms and Rivers Hall Estate, Boxted, Colchester, villages were treated to a trailer tour of a wild grey partridge restoration project on 8th June By kind permission of Jonathan near Cranborne, Dorset. Minter and generously sponsored by The event was hosted by GWCT advisors Pete Thompson and Jess Brooks, who work Castleacre Insurance. with the Martin Down Farmer Cluster in this area. Notable stops on the tour included a For details visit gwct.org.uk/events scenic spot from which the ‘patchwork’ landscape of crops could be viewed along with a close-up inspection of beetle banks, cover strips and predation control equipment. Attendees were very impressed with the integration of the project and the working arable farm, a feat rarely SPECIAL THANKS achieved with harmony but absolutely crucial to its success. to all those individuals, gamekeepers, landowners With dedicated, hardworking keepers and farm staff, the and estates, who have project has gone from a handful of pairs to nearly 100 in just contributed to the 8 years. The event was kindly sponsored by Perdix Wildlife Partridge Count Scheme. Supplies, a supplier of high-quality wildlife research and management equipment. gwct.org.uk/pcs

gwct.org.uk 1 READ OUR MANAGEMENT FACTSHEETS To find out what you can do to help throughout the year. Find out more at gwct.org.uk/pcsdownloads Partridge Count Scheme

Thanks to all the farmers, landowners, snowy beginning to spring and subsequent effect may not be apparent until the 2018 keepers and other managers who took rain. PCS members in Eastern England autumn covey counts get underway. If part in the spring 2018 partridge count recorded a slightly lower OWS compared autumn brood sizes are small, then the and provided us with their count results. A to 2016/2017. weather’s effect on insect emergence in summary of their results is shown in Table 1. What should be very apparent to many, spring and availability in June for recently In total 455 spring counts were received. especially those involved in the PCS who hatched grey partridge chicks may be more This is a 14% decline on the number do not have a shooting interest on their obvious. The summer’s warm and dry returned last spring. Counting was impacted ground, is the importance of providing conditions may go some way to mitigating by the lengthy period of heavy snow and the supplementary feeding during this year’s these and we remain hopeful for a good extended bitter temperatures in February particularly hard “Hungry gap” as well as count this autumn. and March, followed by the unsettled habitat providing winter cover. weather with heavy spells of rain throughout most of April. This was not an easy count. Spring pairs In fact, many participants were prevented This spring, PCS members recorded a total from accessing their land for farming due of 5,509 pairs of grey partridges, down 300 to bad weather, let alone managing to pairs (-5%) on spring 2017. Eastern England count partridges. Only Southern and continues to report almost two-thirds of all Eastern England region returned nearly the the pairs recorded, but comprises only one same number of counts as was the case in third of participating sites. spring 2017. We are thankful to everyone who was able to take part and hope that Spring density conditions next year will be better for the Nationally, spring pair density decreased many who sent their apologies. We are slightly by 7% to 3.9 birds/100 ha. Regionally, also pleased to see the one site we have in breeding densities in Southern, Eastern, Northern Ireland managed to count again. Midlands and Scotland increased between As a consequence of the low number of 5% and 11%, with 2.2 to 5.1 pairs/100 returns, all regions except Southern England hectares, on average. Northern England counted less area; in total 141,400 ha recorded the largest decline (-28%) in pair (349,400 acres) was surveyed across the UK. density and this was also the region of the country where there were nearly 30 fewer Winter survival of 2017/18 counts in 2018 than in spring of 2017. Only We calculated over-winter survival (OWS) one participant in Wales was able to return on sites that have undertaken both a 2017 a count and although they saw no grey autumn and a 2018 spring count (Table 2). partridges on their land, they did mention Nationally, there was little change in OWS a pair on a neighbour’s land (a site not for 2017/18, compared to 2016/2017. As currently in the PCS). a “Barometer of the Countryside” this is The impact of the heavy snow and rain good news for grey partridges regarding was not that pronounced, except in the role this winter period. However, many PCS it played in thwarting many PCS members members commented on the cold and actually doing a count. It’s more far-reaching

Table 1 Table 2 Regional spring pair densities of grey partridges in Great Britain for 2017 and 2018 Over-winter survival (OWS) rates

Number of sites Spring pair density Percentage change Mean over-winter survival per 100ha Region 2017 2018 2017 2018 Change % 2016/2017 2017/2018 Southern 61 58 1.9 2.1 11% Southern 42% 45% Eastern 141 141 4.8 5.1 6% Eastern 61% 53% Midlands 100 84 2.9 3.2 10% Midlands 65% 65% Wales 3 1 2.3 0 -100% Wales 6% 0% Northern 134 104 6.8 4.9 -28% Northern 51% 51% N. Ireland 1 1 9.9 7.9 -20% N. Ireland 17% 23% Scotland 87 66 2.1 2.2 5% Scotland 43% 45% Overall 527 455 4.2 3.9 -7% Overall 54% 53%

2 JOIN THE PARTRIDGE COUNT SCHEME If you’re a farmer, landowner, game- or land-manager or know someone who is and wants to help your wild grey partrdges, please join the scheme. For more details and to sign up visit gwct.org.uk/partridge

Long-term status Two new GWCT titles The long-term index (Figure 1) shows The now available Knowledge changes in grey partridge density since Every Gun’s guide to conservation 1960 for long-term sites (those participating We have recently published a new prior to 1999) and new sites who joined book, entitled The Knowledge - Every since 1999. In spring 2018 long-term sites Gun’s guide to Conservation. This new recorded an average 4% increase on spring publication was written to educate 2017 density. This is a small but positive those shooting on how to ensure improvement on the declines seen since that the shoots they use are doing 2015, giving an average index in national the right things for conservation. spring pair density of 4.7 pairs/100 ha (250 It gives a great introduction to key acres) for the long-term sites. Meanwhile, conservation topics, from species the new sites recorded a very small such as pheasant and partridge to decrease of 1%, remaining at an average of habitat management. 3.1 pairs/100 ha (250 acres). What is clear is the lack of recovery Alongside this is a 48-page report, since that terrible summer in 2012, despite Working Conservationists, which some initial sign of potential recovery in details the hard work undertaken the spring of 2015. This lack of increase in in nine case studies of private breeding densities requires a more thorough landowners striving to improve the investigation. biodiversity on their land. These include PCS members such as The Peppering Project and Alastair Neville Kingdon is our Partridge Count Scheme Salvesen, who is undertaking co-ordinator who collates all the partridge recovery in Scotland. count data to provide an overall outlook on how grey partridges You can order copies of each at www.gwctshop.org.uk are faring. or by calling 01425 651010.

35 Figure 1 Trends in the indices of grey partridge density, 30 controlling for variation in different count areas

Long-term sites

25 New sites

10 Grey partridge spring density (pairs/100 ha) Grey

0 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

Comparing Table 1 and Figure 1 The results of Table 1 and Figure 1 differ due to the more complex analysis in producing Figure 1, which looks at the between-year changes within each site, then averages those changes across sites. It adjusts for counts that are not available for all sites every year and includes only sites with more than one spring count. This gives a more accurate long-term overview than Table 1.

Justin Ripman presents the Norfolk Grey Partridge award to David Clark (L) and Sir Marcus O’Lone (R).

Spring traps – A ‘clearer’ future? Group News Norfolk The Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS) was an agreement The GWCT were delighted that the brokered to facilitate trade between Canada, USA, Russia and the EU, at a time when anti- Norfolk award went to Sandringham fur-trade protests seemed likely to provoke a wider trade war. The UK is committed to Estate this year. They were presented this agreement, both as a current member of the EU, and because it wants to trade freely with the Mills & Reeve Grey Partridge with those signatory countries. Award, which promotes the recovery Earlier this year, Defra held a public consultation on how to implement AIHTS in the of grey partridge numbers across UK. They have decided to implement in the “least burdensome” way by making minimal the county, by law firm Mills & Reeve changes to legislation. at the opening of the 2018 Royal The stoat will be added to Schedule 6 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act, making it a Norfolk Show. species which may not be trapped, except under the terms of a licence. Receiving the award were Sandringham Land Agent Sir Marcus • A General Licence will be issued across the UK allowing stoats to be caught in traps O’Lone who retired this summer after specifically authorised for the purpose. It will not be necessary to register or apply to 20 years on the estate, and David use this licence. Clark who retired as headkeeper earlier this year after 17 years of The list of traps that may be used for stoats will be drastically reduced as a result of service. They have both worked humaneness testing. Fenn, Springer and Solway traps, together with Magnum traps extremely hard to restore the and the WCS Tube Trap will no longer be approved for stoats, although they may still numbers of greys on the estate. Dr be used for other species. One new trap that meets the AIHTS standard for stoat Roger Draycott, head of advisory (the Tully trap) will be approved early in 2019. A clear summary of current and future at GWCT, works closely with the approvals for all species is posted on the GWCT website. Sandringham Estate and takes part in • From the date of implementation (which depends on Parliamentary processes) there partridge counts there commented: will be 12 months’ grace to allow the manufacture, purchase and deployment of “We are delighted that Sandringham replacement traps. Accepting Defra’s current prediction, it will no longer be lawful Estate has been recognised in this way. to use Fenn traps etc to catch stoats after 1 April 2020 in England, with the devolved Under the leadership of Sir Marcus administrations conforming as closely as possible. and David, the Estate has achieved • No other changes to existing trap approvals have been announced. This means a remarkable recovery in grey that Fenn traps etc may still be used to catch a range of other species, provided ‘all partridges; restoring numbers by 2012 reasonable precautions’ have been taken to avoid injury to any Schedule 6 species, to the level they were at in the 1950s which now includes stoat. This deepens the fog around an already hazy aspect of – pre-agricultural intensification. the legislation. We have challenged Defra to clarify what they consider to be lawful “Alongside grey partridges, practice in this respect. songbirds and other wildlife flourished too. The success at Sandringham As we said in our submission to Defra’s consultation, implementation will be hugely showed the art of the possible and inspired many other farms and estates disruptive to the game management sector, while the humaneness gain is relatively small across the country to start their own and bizarrely inconsistent. It doesn’t establish a defensible standard across all traps used wild partridge conservation projects in game management and pest control, in the way that it does for the fur trade. It also and contribute to the GWCT makes trap choice and the legalities of trap use in the UK considerably more complicated Partridge Count Scheme. and confusing. “David and Sir Marcus have provided tremendous support to We will do our best to guide you Jonathan Reynolds is our head of Predation Control Studies and the GWCT over many years and are through this – watch our website represents GWCT on the Defra strong advocates of the GWCT’s or contact our advisory service. AIHTS Technical Working Group. science-led practical approach to game and wildlife conservation.”