A new raft of predators
DR MIKE SWAN IS HEAD OF EDUCATION AND THE SOUTHERN REGIONAL ADVISER FOR THE GAME & WILDLIFE CONSERVATION TRUST
Well, we can heave a small sigh of relief, because by now most of our wild pheasants will have hatched. The partridges will be through soon too.
We saw our first pheasant brood on 19 May and, by then, what were pairs of wild greys had become cocks on guard while their faithful wives were incubating. By mid-Tune, the bulk of the partridges should be away too.
Once their chicks are hatched, and the broods of game are on the move, vulnerability to predation drops quite a bit. This applies to waders such
