Gamekeeper

The sight of the first grey partridge chicks of the season begins a circle of life – and a journey every bit as perilous as that of the salmon

Imust have been daydreaming when my line tightened. I was startled into action as the unmistakable tug of a fish on my line was swiftly followed by a swirl down the pool and then an enormous eruption as my first salmon of the season attempted to escape.

It’s unusual for me to think of anything other than fishing whilst on the bank but today was a special day as earlier on my rounds I had witnessed my first brood of grey partridges of the year. To witness this intimate moment as mother and father shepherd their newly hatched chicks in search of food is the completion of a circle that, for me, represents the very essence of wild bird gamekeeping.

Perilous journey

This month, farms begin the harvest, a time of great disturbance for grey partridge chicks