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Gray Partridge (1 Viewer)

T

The sniper

Well-known member
Seem to be long gone in my corner of Essex,and from what i understand are not doing to well in the rest of the County,but they seem to still be reported regularly in Suffolk,herts,cambs etc
Are there any reliable sites in Essex,especially to the south?????
 
The sniper said:
Seem to be long gone in my corner of Essex,and from what i understand are not doing to well in the rest of the County,but they seem to still be reported regularly in Suffolk,herts,cambs etc
Are there any reliable sites in Essex,especially to the south?????
Click to expand...

Can be found on the western side of Essex, east of Bishop's Stortford. Fields around Hatfield Forest, Hallingbury and Hatfield Broad Oak often show them, with no being a good time to go searching. Need to scope fields at random, but a drive around the area should get you some results. However, most are red legged and presently 100's will have been released from pens for the shooting season.
Attached is a photo I got in East Herts last year. Very lucky shot.
regards,
Jono
 

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Have seen them from time to time around Chelmsford but although I've seen them here it's mostly Red-legged on my patch nowadays. Nowhere I know that you could call reliable but there's a spot at Little Baddow where I used to get glimpses of them when I walked there before (along with Buzzards). I've not walked that way for some time so can't guarantee anything though. It's a track called Graces Walk just off Graces Lane:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=lit...29673,0.546345&spn=0.003509,0.009645&t=h&z=17

I also saw them when walking footpaths across the fields around Danbury Country Park just south of there. Note to self... I really must head out to Graces Walk again soon as I always enjoyed that walk. My route there got extremely boggy in the winter though so I'll need to go soon or I'll come home as the abominable mud monster! :-O
 
Grey Partridge

Hi Sniper, Had group of 8 in fields between Layer Breton Causeway and Layer Road (Abberton) last week. Also Fleet head near Wakering has a few present and Wallasea Island by double bend. Best when they are calling in Spring
 
Good to hear there are still a few holding on in Essex,would be interested to find out as many sites as possible as I travel all over Essex working and often have time to stop here or there for an hour or so
 
Only ten years ago, when I first moved to Maldon, Grey Partridges were regular in my patch but sadly I have not seen one for at least two years here. In fact I could date my arrival here as 'after the Tree Sparrows had gone but while the Grey Ps were still about'. Fortunately the Corn Buntings are still holding on (and sizeable winter flocks can be seen). In contrast, since I arrived, both Avocet and Little Egret have started breeding. However on balance I see it very much as a net loss... (I greatly prefer traditional ale to imported lager...)
I now also struggle to find even Red-legs locally. I supposed to be on a bird race on Monday and don't know where we will find one!
Cheers
 
There have yet again been reports of grey partridge around abberton,with 8 birds seen,also I was speaking to a guy who claimed to have had 17 in fields next to braxted park,witham
With regards to red legged,we still get a few around me but they also seem to be in decline although this is not such a big loss compared to the grey which is englands only true partridge
 
Old Hall Marshes has a resident pair - last year we saw them a few times near the wind turbine. Saw 8 by Abberton on 1st Jan but not since
 
The sniper said:
Ps,sorry about the spelling of Grey in the title,a blonde moment!!
Click to expand...

hi, that's the american spelling. grey partridges along with lapwings, curlews, turtle doves, bullfinches and even the house sparrows on our very roof-tops are all the victims of op. pesticides. defra. and everyone else denies this but the birds themselves are telling us the truth by their very absence. defra. is only there for itself and anything they say cannot be trusted one iota.
 
Ps,sorry about the spelling of Grey in the title,a blonde moment!!
Click to expand...

Naw, you just wanted to pretend to be from the U.S. with both gray and blonde.
o:)
 
The sniper said:
Seem to be long gone in my corner of Essex,and from what i understand are not doing to well in the rest of the County,but they seem to still be reported regularly in Suffolk,herts,cambs etc
Are there any reliable sites in Essex,especially to the south?????
Click to expand...

There are still a couple down our way - not that I've ever had them. There used to be sightings around Grays and out on Orsett Fen, Parkers Farm Road/Conways Road, etc, but they were few and far between. There's a lot of shooting and released red-legs on the fen - can't imagine it does much for the greys, if they're still present. Also, there were two seen a couple of years back on the side of the old A13 by Wennington! (as per ELBF)

I missed the group at Abberton, but I have had them just west of Danbury, and out beyond Southend, at Wakering.
 
The more I speak to people it seems that there are still a few sites for these birds.I have spent alot of time around parkers farm road and the rest of the orsett fens looking for greys over the last two years but not a single bird,have also looked around wennington as it's only a couple of miles from my house but nothing
 
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