The GWCT are badgering me to buy a badge of their logo to support their vital conservation work for the Grey Partridge.
That’s a more than 50% decline since 1994. Somebody’s not been buying enough badges? This is the GWCT’s best-studied species, by far, I’d say.
Now the conservation of widespread farmland species is difficult, and many species of farmland bird have declined over the same period. But it’s hardly a great success story is it?
It’s not because the science is lacking – it isn’t, and thanks to the great work of the late Dick Potts and co-workers (see here and here), some of whom still work at GWCT, we have known how to save Grey Partridges for a very long time.
It’s not a case of lack of knowledge, it’s a case of lack of implementation of that knowledge by government through agri-environment schemes and through landowners through altruistic action, or indeed through the less altruistic motive of wanting some wild English Partridges to shoot.
Let’s take a longer look at the population trend.
Crikey! If I were thinking of buying a badge I’d be thinking of asking what the new strategy is for the conservation of the Grey Partridge because all of the old ones haven’t worked that well. Maybe a bit less slagging off the RSPB and a bit more collaborative working with an organisation that can point to multiple conservation successes might be in order? Or a change in logo?
[registration_form]
Perhaps reducing the number of non-native gamebirds released each year might be a good way to start!
It’s a bit like claiming to want to conserve red squirrels , while at the same time releasing millions of greys to compete with and infect them. And I’m sorry, I don’t think Dick Potts’ recipe for conserving grey partridge is sustainable or ecologically sound.
I agree about Red Legs. The shooting mans logic goes “not many Greys this year, lets release some Red Legs” (which displace the Greys) so next year theres even less Greys, so “better release even more Red Legs” and on and on. Its a fine example of what motivates 90% of Estates…quantity=money…sod the rest.
An interesting letter in British Birds which dropped through the postbox this morning. A commentary on your recent article, Mark, particularly looking at agricultural strategies pre and post 1970. The letter from Dave Smallshire, doesn’t mention gamebirds but the general impact of agriculture on farmland birds. Interesting.
Richard – yes, I’ve just read it too.
I can remember as a learning birder, largely like most 60s birders self taught, when almost every field between Harrogate golf course (adjacent to which we lived) and Knaresborough had at least one pair of Grey Partridges, the roughs of the GC even had them sometimes. My first and I think only major success of healing a sick bird was a Grey Partridge, it probably had a strained wing. They’ve been gone from there for about 20 years. It’s now all pasture the farming was mixed and some fields have been combined by hedge removal.
Sad to think of, but even so, I’ll not be buying one of those badges, I too have been badgered about.
Has anyone else got a cunning plan to save the Grey Partridge ?, one that will actually be taken up nationwide ?, no i thought not.
My first headkeeper, back in the Seventies, did not think much of the Game Conservancy , as in his mind THEY had failed the bird, there was no point arguing.
Trapit – yes, I do. You have to construct agri-environment schemes in the right areas so that they do the job properly. It is influencing government to influence land owners (who get our money too easily at the moment) that is the way forward. THe GWCT pretend that talking to a few large landowners and getting them to do a few of the righ things and telling them how wonderful they are for doing it is the answer – it isn’t.
And National Parks would be a good place to start – they would always be a good place to start but we never do so. If public payments were made for Grey Partridge friendly fields on a big scale there would be lots more Grey Partridges. It isn’t that difficult, it’s just that nobody wants to do it.
Exactly my point, and to be honest i dont see things improving, there will not be enough money on the table, farmers will go their own way, more intensively, rather than be compromised by taxpayers money.
I fear you may be right.
I’m rapidly coming to the conclusion that ELMS is shaping up to be a huge disapointment.
The next few decades are going a witness a huge period of consolidation for large agri-businesses.
At a local Peregrine site a couple of weeks ago, a lady stopped and asked me what I was watching. When I told her she mentioned that the birds might be at risk from a nearby road. It turned out that she was under the impression that Peregrines scavenged roadkill. After telling her that I wasn’t aware of any record of such behaviour, I outlined the main threats, to which informed me that she worked for the G”w”CT, and that gamekeepers did lots of great things, and it was (yawn) “only a few bad apples” that got up to any naughtiness. I maintained my winning smile (with the few good teeth I’ve got left) and let her know that I was perfectly au fait with the issue and that such flannel just doesn’t wash, no matter what that nice Mr Killtruth would have us believe.
She seemed surprised that I’d heard of him, but said how nice a man he was, and that he only came out with such statements to “wind people up”, especially “that Mark Avery, and Packham, who write so many lies”. And that the RSPB “killed lots of predators too, but kept it quiet”. Of course, I put her right that lethal control figures were regularly published by the RSPB (unlike those of the shooting “industry”), but, unsurprisingly, she wouldn’t have it.
After failing to come up with a single example of Mark and Chris’s “lies”, she finally twigged that I wasn’t anyone’s patsy, and actually conceded that intensive shoot “management” is indeed very damaging, and that those who took part in driven shooting were “silly boys from London with all the gear and no idea”.
I wonder how many other employees of shooting organisations hold this view, but do as they’re told and toe the party line when they’re not caught off guard by charismatic old gits like me!
Sorry Coop, one of the dislikes was me, made in error. Thank you for challenging these ideas on behalf of us all, and the birds of course. Yes, a very interesting end to your conversation….. thanks for sharing.
That’s quite alright, dear lady. Although I’ll admit to being slightly disappointed that my post hasn’t (thus far) annoyed more of those who are totally without decency, your kind words will no doubt prove an additional irritant to them.
And there he/she goes, bless. Not a peep, just a click of the mouse/tap of a button. Understandable, I suppose. It must be effort enough reaching out from under that stone. 😉