Wildlife Photographic Journals

Perdix Rouge

A French title seemed appropriate for this post as it is dedicated to the Red-Legged Partridge. This is not a native UK bird but originally imported from France for hunting but has been here long enough to be considered a normal part of the countryside. They are quite wary birds and not one I have had opportunity to photograph much before. The usual sight of the bird is of its rear end as it runs off in to the distance. They are very beautiful birds and worthwhile putting in some effort to try and photograph. I recently found a pair of birds while checking out a cemetery and have put in a bit of time recently trying to get a few photographs.

The first encounter was early one morning as the birds were moving through dew soaked grass.

The next sighting of the birds was several days later where both perched on top of some gravestones.

The final encounter to date was late one evening as the birds were steadily moving across a field.
A stunningly coloured male bird.

and the female

The rapidly sinking sun then broke through and the rare sight of a stationary partridge.