As promised I went back up onto the slopes of Cefn Drum this evening in search of the two Grey Partridges I discovered at the end of last week. Unlike last time I had my proper camera well and truly in tow and made straight for the area where I’d last seen them. With such a large expanse of habitat I held out little hope of a second chance, but in the end very nearly stepped right on top of the pair after only a few minutes of searching. They had moved slightly higher but seemed almost completely oblivious to my presence as they went about their feeding.

27363 - Grey Partridge, Cefn Drum
27364 - Grey Partridge, Cefn Drum
27357 - Grey Partridge, Cefn Drum
27350 - Grey Partridge, Cefn Drum

In the end it was me who ended the encounter as I moved away to leave the birds in peace. What a cracking pair and what a find for my local patch.

Elsewhere a stunning male Reed Bunting, two Mistle Thrushes, a passing Swift, several Stonechat and endless Skylarks made for a rather eclectic bunch, supplemented by a pair of Ravens and the croaky calls of what I think is the only Pheasant on the hill. A large metal bird also put in an appearance in the shape of this Hercules plane. They are a regular fixture along this stretch of countryside but it is the first time I have actually managed to catch one on camera.

27367 - Hercules, Cefn Drum

Up on the summit I spotted a pristine Painted Lady butterfly that thankfully remained stationary long enough for me to take a photo, unlike the numerous Small Heaths I had seen during me ascent.

27369 - Painted Lady, Cefn Drun

For me though it all pales into insignificance after the real stars of the show. Emma has unfortunately yet to make it up with me so let’s hope I can find the Partridges for a third time later this week. At present they seem to be pretty loyal to one area so hopefully we will be in luck. For now I shall leave you with the view from the top of Cefn Drum, which on a day like today rivals the best of them.

27370 - Cefn Drum

14 Comments

TexWisGirl · May 30, 2012 at 12:03 am

pretty partridges!

mick · May 30, 2012 at 2:43 am

A beautiful view in that last photo. I really like the feather texture of the partridges which your photos show.

Brian King · May 30, 2012 at 4:05 am

Gorgeous shots, Adam! The view in the last one is spectacular!

Kusum · May 30, 2012 at 5:14 am

Those are beautiful pictures of birds!

NatureStop · May 30, 2012 at 5:20 am

Lovely birds.Love the last shot!Thanks for sharing and have a great day.

Shantana

Bob Bushell · May 30, 2012 at 8:37 am

Lovely series, the Partridges are my fave, they're superb photos.

Unknown · May 30, 2012 at 11:35 am

Great post Adam!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

Stewart M · May 30, 2012 at 12:20 pm

Splendid post – how are partridge doing in the wider countryside? Last time I saw some they were under pressure.

Stewart M

Adam Jones · May 30, 2012 at 7:39 pm

A very nice set of pictures. I came across Grey Partridge for the first time a couple of weeks ago,but they didn't hang around for me to photograph them.
Good work.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) · May 30, 2012 at 8:22 pm

What a beautiful place — lovely view. The partridge is such a soft pretty gray. And what a great bird list for the day!

eileeninmd · May 30, 2012 at 10:05 pm

Lovely scenes and the partridges are so cute. Awesome photos.

Adam Tilt · May 31, 2012 at 6:17 pm

Thanks all for your very kind comments.

Stewart – they are severely threatened across the country, especially so in Wales. One of the reasons I was so happy to find this pair.

Hilke Breder · June 2, 2012 at 12:48 pm

Lovely pics! I once recorded their calls when visiting family in Germany but I never got a close look at them.

Springman · June 7, 2012 at 3:06 am

Who say's you don't get a second chance… Nice job!

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