Laois gun club turns nature conservationist to save rare Irish bird

A Laois gun club has gone full circle, restoring a near extinct native wild bird to the countryside, forever protected from hunting. 

Mountmellick Gun Club has reared and released about 60 grey partridges to rewilded farmlands around the town over the past five years, and they are determined to keep going.

The ground dwelling grey partridge, a shy bird that mates for life, was once a common wild Irish bird. 

In recent years it had become nearly extinct with less than 50 birds left in Ireland just five years ago. The rapid decline happened over just 30 years, mainly blamed on the use of biocides on farmland like Roundup. 

A pair of breeding partridges, photographed by Liam Healion at Mountmellick Gun Club.

It was once a game bird but will never be hunted again, says the chair of Mountmellick Gun Club.

Mark Bergin is proud of the results of the work of his members, supported by the community.

“We have put a huge amount of work into it over the past five years. We have released about 60 into the wild around Mountmellick, into sanctuaries. 

They have two pens, one at member Micky Ward’s house, and another in their rewilded 7 acre plot in Lower Forest where they also rear pheasants.

“Local farmers including Junior Dowling, the Rochfords, Murt Delaney and Conor McNamara have all come in on it to let the birds out on their lands that they allowed to go wild for them.

Liam Healion, John Ging, Mark Bergin (chair) and Gavin Feery, Mountmellick Gun Club, at their Bay Road bird sanctuary.

“They need grass, actually short grass is better for picking. They sleep on the ground so we have to do fox control in areas we let them out.

“A big thanks to the farmers and to everyone who got in behind us. I am absolutely delighted at the success, and we will keep going for as long as we can. 

“My aim is hopefully they will become as common again as pigeons, and for us to talk to local schools about the project. 

“Mountmellick Credit Union have been brilliant, only for them we couldn’t do it. We feed the partridges in winter with the donation they give us,” the chair said.

The club has nearly 50 members, including two women. Members still hunt, but aim to strike a balance with nature.

“We release 250 hen pheasants a year. The hens can’t be shot. We have had success with pheasant hens hatching too. Always as a club, we have spent the same money on hens and cocks. We release about 200 cocks a year so we put in more than we take out. Members are only allowed to shoot two cock pheasants a week during hunting season. Two birds is enough to eat, and we do eat them. They are absolutely gorgeous in a stir fry,” he said.

The Mountmellick club is part of an Irish breeding project launched by the National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC) and National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS), which is showing a steady increase in the grey partridge population.

Dan Curley, chair of the NARGC also spoke to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

He said that the initial breeding birds were brought in from Lithuania to breeding stations in Boora in Offaly, in Dublin and in Carlow.

“We have about 40 clubs involved in the project now. The birds are in their hundreds now, about 200 to 300. They would have been hunted in the past but it is not allowed now, it’s illegal,” he said.

“The clubs would all be talking to local farmers to get them on board. The birds need wild bird cover, provided under the ACRES agri-environment climate scheme. 

“I love to see them, they give a chirp as their call. They are very loyal mates, they pair forever and protect their territory and all stay together in a covey and fly up together. We check the sites for vermin control. As they are ground nesters, if there’s greycrows they will be in trouble straight away,” the NARGC chair said.

Read also: Laois farm to open for the public in 'Inside the Gate' event

Other sponsors the club rely on include Eddie Kirwan Pub Mountrath, Dunkeen Oil, Integrileads, Jonathan Ward Transport and Telfords Hardware as well as Cllrs Paddy Bracken and Seamus McDonald.