AN OFFALY-BASED project which rescued the last colony of Irish grey partridge from the brink of extinction may soon be extended to other parts of the country.
Less than a decade ago just 22 native grey partridge remained at Boora in Co Offaly where, thanks to the Irish Grey Partridge Conservation Trust, 908 birds were recorded this autumn.
Funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the trust was established in 1996 in response to the decline of the wild grey partridge.
Poor summers and modern farming practices led to a serious reduction in bird numbers since the early 1990s when a survey conducted by the National Association of Regional Game Councils recorded wild colonies in Kildare, Tipperary, Wexford, Galway, Offaly, Wicklow and Louth.
The situation gradually worsened and in the late 1990s, “the last few of them had retreated to the cutaway bogs of Kildare and Offaly”, said Kieran Buckley of the parks and wildlife service.
On investigating the viability of both remaining colonies, the trust chose Boora as the most likely location for the survival of the species.
Due to the continued success of the Boora project, the trust hopes to expand its scheme to other parts of the country and to reintroduce the bird on Irish farms.
With the aid of Birdwatch Ireland the trust has produced a “farm plan” designed to enable the grey partridge return to its natural habitat, Mr Buckley said.