Scandinavian Airlines A320- 251N Landing runway 24 as "Scandinavian 2541" from ARN

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It is almost four years since I wrote the following description of a release of some juvenile Grey Partridge. Going through some old photographs during a recent period of inactivity, I have discovered quite a few shots I had forgotten about and some I hadn't even looked at. Among these were a few more relating to this little episode described again here.

“An anniversary photo of sorts from ten years ago! This juvenile Grey Partridge was one of ten put down on 25 August 2011 by two friends and myself on a coastal farm in the south of the county. The farmer was only too happy to grant us permission for the release for they had been rescued by another farmer on a private estate some miles to the north when he had discovered a nest containing 16 eggs in a field that he was about to plough. Knowing his operations would destroy the nest he took the clutch and gave it to a lady he knew who kept poultry. She put the eggs under several of her bantams and eventually ten of the eggs hatched successfully and were reared to the stage for release in a tall, open-air walled pen normally reserved for her poultry.

Although the pen was covered with several strawberry nets to prevent escapes, one enterprising chick succeeded in finding a hole in the net and escaped into the adjoining field. The lady spotted it running about there and pursued it unsuccessfully for over an hour with her husband's landing net. Eventually she had to give up the chase and resigned herself to the fact that the chick was probably a 'goner'. Much to her surprise however she found the chick some hours later huddled against the outside of the pen containing its siblings, cheeping plaintively and trying in vain to find its way back into the pen. This time the chick was caught easily and reunited with its group.

What was very noticeable was that on release (several at a time from cat-carry crates) the first birds released made straight into the crop and lurked there close to the edge cheeping all the time and waiting for the others to follow. It was quite a touching sight to see and reminded me again what sociable birds they are and how uncomfortable they feel deprived of the security of their companions!

Having previously identified a suitable spot for their release that contained not only ideal habitat but had the added bonus of being ground that wasn't shot over, transporting them had presented no difficulties as the site was only a five-minute drive from their rearing pen.

I'm glad to say Grey Partridges persist there to this day and just recently while driving along I was delighted to see one fly over the road directly above my car only about 100 yards from the spot where we had released the birds a decade earlier. How satisfying to know our efforts had paid dividends!”

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