“We had 23 grey partridge pairs, our highest number since the GWCT project started” Gamekeepers across the UK are reporting strong broods and quality eggs, despite a period of bad weather, with the breeding season under way.
Persistent rain has been an issue, but warm weather followed soon after, preventing too much damage to stocks.
Stuart Maughan, headkeeper on the Whitfield estate in Northumberland, commented: “This breeding season has been very good in the north, especially for birds that have laid earlier on. The pheasants began laying quite early and have remained laying throughout, seeing as we’ve had good, warm weather.
“We’ve had nasty showers and often persistent rain, which will of course have done some damage. Early on, we saw wild broods of pheasants, several with 10-plus young, but…