David Sandford’s vision to reintroduce wild partridges has won the Purdey Award – and helped to create a delightful shoot
When asked to write a report on a day with the Port loughan Shoot, County Down, in early November last year, I was unaware the Purdey Awards judging panel had already decided to present owner David Sandford with the prestigious Gold Award at the annual ceremony later in the month. The judges came to their decision in recognition of Sandford’s exceptional vision and leadership in successfully reestablishing a sustainable population of wild grey partridges, classified as extinct in Northern Ireland since 1992, on his 225-acre farm and for persuading 21 neighbouring farmers to support him across a further 1,800 acres.
This remarkable achievement is part of an ongoing conservation programme that began 20 years ago, as I was to discover when Sandford drove me round on the afternoon before the shoot. In 1996, when he moved back to the family farm on the shore of Strangford Lough with his wife, Alison, son, Mark, and daughter, Lucy, the land comprised 100 acres of grass with 125 acres of woodland, scrub, gorse and rough grazing. Keen to utilise this to start an informal family shoot and act as the catalyst for improving the land and woodland for the benefit of wider biodiversity, he sought advice from the GWCT and a programme of shrub and tree planting was instigated. Two new ponds were dug and two old ones resuscitated, and, in 2002, the farm entered a Countryside Management Scheme, which allowed the planting of wild bird cover, rough grass margins and, as the crop-able acreage had been put down to arable, over wintered stubbles.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 2017 من The Field.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 2017 من The Field.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Going over old ground
Forget modern tractors and minimum tillage - there is something glorious about the sight of farmer, horse and vintage plough in perfect harmony
Return of the natives
There is nothing as satisfying as creating a magical miniature woodland or conservation hedgerow using our native trees - and now is the best time to start.
Tagging the Cornish tunny
Enormous Atlantic bluefin tuna are once again making waves in UK waters almost a century after their showstopping appearance in the North Sea
In it for the long haul
It may have fallen out of favour at the elite level but long-format three-day eventing is still proving popular with grassroots riders
Unpicking the story of hunt buttons
These treasured tokens are bestowed only upon those who go above and beyond in service of their hunt but the rules around them can be complex
A place of tradition in the heart of town
Cordings has helped shape the sartorial landscape of Britain for 185 years, with its classic country tailoring a firm staple of many sporting wardrobes
Don't play it by ear
Hearing loss can have a devastating impact on day-to-day life, making ear protection a non-negotiable piece of field kit
Back to base-ics
Britain's famously unpredictable climate can make staying comfortable in the field a challenge but the right under layers can be a game changer
Stand and deliver
A good stance provides the platform for shotgun marksmanship and is fundamental to consistent success in the field or breaking clays
Heaven is a High Four
A team of guns enjoy a day of the finest sport Devon has to offer, courtesy of the GWCT and a quartet of generous shoot owners