I was watching the Red Legged Partridges out on Plex on a recent sunny evening as they dust bathed and began tuning up their truly daft “song” if that’s the right way to describe the racket.
Weird to think I had to go all the way to Norfolk to see my first one as a kid – it was a tick many moons ago alongside Pec Sand and Red Backed Shrike as I recall, while the grown-ups were hoping for heavier score.
Now Red Legs are almost as much of a traffic hazard on Plex as the lycra-clad lunatics that love the place ever since the tracks got all respectable and resurfaced.
And Greys are few and far between.
It got me thinking about numbers and biomass – all grown-up issues that Mark Avery can explain far better than most.
Do the bazillions of Red Legs have an effect on Greys? Anyone know?
I’m sure I read somewhere that Greys were more susceptible to pesticides, but that they were also the dominant species where the two meet, but I can’t remember.
Hmmmm…..
There seemed to be plenty of Grey Partridges at the western end of Plex yesterday (Monday) near the Fine Jane pumping station, but also hundreds of Pheasants and lots of Red-legs, as well of too many men with guns and dogs…
Red Admiral on the wing in the park in Ormskirk this afternoon, and a flock of around 50 Skylarks in the field at the end of our garden. The flock seems to have taken up winter residence, being there all day most days.
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Caught a glimpse of a TV trailer as I walked into the living room earlier, and there was JD in a RIB apparently just off the Sefton coast. I think the trailer was for something called “Britain’s Lost Cities” (?) but didn’t catch the channel, time or anything else (missus was channel-hopping) so – what? When? Where?
Is this what was being referred to last week in the Biomass thread. I did wonder…
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Oops – I meant the Great Darkness thread.
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Just spotted it again. For anybody interested, episode 1 of a new series “Britain at low tide” is on Ch .4 tonight at 8 pm tonight (Saturday).
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Thanks Tony, wouldn’t have noticed it but for your comment.
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1 SEO at Lunt meadows late this afternoon. In flight near the pumping station.
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