A rare boost for wild grey partridgeThe British Isles sit at the edge of the grey partridge’s European range. Wet, cold summers often devastate chicks, unlike the species’ strongholds in eastern Europe. Prolonged heatwaves gave wild populations a welcome boost. There, despite little predator or habitat management, partridge thrived thanks to hot summers and temporary roadside habitats. But those habitats vanished once roadworks finished, and so did the partridge.