Thread: What is this?

Should have looked for any pear trees!

Partridge benefit from predator control, just as much as any other ground nesting bird! They are real characters to have around the place, and are quite happy to hang around human activity, sheds and buildings etc.

We had one of them on the old mans lawn a few years ago.

Originally Posted by Dundee

We had one of them on the old mans lawn a few years ago.

And?......come on Dunners dont be shy.....

It disappeared under a big dollop of Wattie's.

I have been thinking about this throughout the day. It had me stumped but now that the day is drawing to an end, I think Gibo is onto it

Nah just took pictures but that was before I had the digital camera. So what is the difference between a chukar and a red legged partridge? I guess I could google it but some bright stump might no.

Well off the bat red legged partridge does not have the letter k in it

Originally Posted by Gibo

Well off the bat red legged partridge does not have the letter k in it

Yip you have consumed the K out of Waikato already

red legs and chukar can be described as first cousins.the chukar lives in different habitat,higher and drier.its a slightly bigger bird. the red leg lives in cultivated areas,the chukar, uninhabited wild places. the red leg is used for a lot of release and driven style shooting in europe and uk.easier to keep than the hungarian/grey partridge,however partridges have never really estabilished themselves in new zealand,although small wild pockets exist.poults/eggs of redlegs are usually available from suppliers of gamebird shooting establishments.

Originally Posted by Dundee

Nah just took pictures but that was before I had the digital camera. So what is the difference between a chukar and a red legged partridge? I guess I could google it but some bright stump might no.

These are Chuckar

i went out sunday,in the main to hunt an area i've enjoyed over 3 decades.i knew it was about to be redeveloped and by next year it would be in italian ryegrass and cows.nothing really prepared me for the scene.anyway i hunted from 9.30 until 3.15pm.all my covey spots,no bird contact.it was like a war zone all the locals had packed up and left.i got the trusty caller out and put out a tune and finally i was answered back.first quail i had heard all day.one has to be patient. soon i had that bird from 250 metres away,fluttering and hopping over the scrub until he was about 15 metres from me.a few of his crew were along to but they stayed back a mite further.anyway i kept myself amused by rarking up the cock bird with calls for another 5 min.but he would not reveal himself,so i sent the dog in through some eyewatering blackberry and he flushed,but on the other side of the tree and low.later that day i did the same to another bird,this time he was clearly visible,but he would not budge,so i walked on leaving the little bugger there.i swung back to the car thinking this was the most unproductive day i had ever had in the area,in terms of bird contact,i had 2 rabbits,a hare and a paradise duck to show.i couldn't end the season without a quail.i headed away to another spot,unsheathed the gun and noted the time was 4.15pm.within 10 min. we were onto the resident covey,the dog was pointing and i could see the birds running around on the scrubby face of a terrace,but not flushing,this was very unusual i was thinking,(but more on that later)i sent the dog up and caught up with a couple of birds and missed on two others.one had dropped into some shitty cover at the top.so i had to backtrack to find my way up.a bird broke just before i reached the spot and i clapped him for an easy retrieve.i spent about ten minutes looking for the bird,but neither i or the dog could find a trace.on the way back down i had another flush and i caught him high in the air and watched him hit the grass then lurch up in a small launch.suddenly there was a shadow and a strike.bloody hell thats a falcon on my bird.my dog had hurtled down,and arrived a few seconds later,enough to persuade the falcon to let go,and he flapped up to a nearby tree,and glared at us and apart from head swivel,never moved another muscle.it then dawned on me why the quail had been reluctant fliers.i could have carried on and got a few more birds,but it was getting late and i do not like to scatter birds so that they are unable to covey up for the night,it leaves them vunerable to predatation. also i always feel a bit guilty shooting quail at this time of the year, as essentially they have made it through winter and its now breeding stock.this was a good size covey of about 30-35 birds.last photo is my dog with the falcon bird.

Oliver states that two forms (of chukar) were introduced into New Zealand in the 1920s and 30s, chukar of India and koroviakovi whose range includes Iran, Turkey and the Mediterranean Islands. They are found mostly in the South Island in New Zealand. The introductions to the North Island were not overly successful. They were first introduced into North America in 1893.

Good photo Shearer

whoops my last post should have been in game bird diary.