Partridge counts offer a valuable insight into how well partridges breed, survive and benefit from habitat and management provision throughout the year. PCS counts remove the need for continual monitoring of nests or birds that other methods would require and are also quite easy to carry out. The basics are:
- Record what partridges you see – using binoculars helps examine each pair or covey.
- Spring: Ensure winter coveys have split and breeding pairs form – typically February and March. Record all pairs and any single birds.
- Autumn: Wait until most of the harvest has finished – ideally between mid-August and late September. Record adult males, adult females and young birds in each covey. Don’t assume a covey is two adults and some young.
- Using an enclosed 4WD to mask your silhouette, drive around fields and then criss-cross in a regular pattern the whole field to check the entire area: using tramlines minimises crop damage.
- Counting should take place during the three hours after dawn or before sunset when birds feed while moving between the roosting areas in the centre of fields and hedges/cover during the day. About 500 acres (250 ha) can be counted over by using a 4WD in a three-hour session. Larger land areas can be covered with subsequent counting sessions.
Full details are provided prior to the counts for all registered participants of the PCS.