“The partridge lives both in the dry and in the open between the stones and the cliffs, as in the moors and along the coasts of the mountains; both the coppice and the trimming; both the chestnut wood on the mountain and the vineyard on the hill. In the vineyards preferably it is retired in the cool during July and August; and since in addition to the freshness it finds succulent food there, being very greedy of grapes, so it remains there and returns long after the harvest. Look for it everywhere, since in a mountainous site you can find it everywhere ”.
Thus in 1887 Camusso, in his Handbook of the Italian Hunter, speaks of Partridge, and the advice offered is still valid today. The partridge, which is slowly returning to inhabit the Apennines, is a bird to be admired. They were once numerous and everyone hopes they will still be. Recognizing them is certainly not child's play, since the differences between the redhead, the protagonist of our story, the Ciukar (the eastern rock partridge), the gray partridge and the sardine do not immediately catch the eye.
Red Partridge: The plumage
Observing it carefully gives us some more chance to recognize the bird we are dealing with. This is a trick of the old hunters, but it can also be fine for the new ones. In the rock partridge the background of the plumage is chalkboard and black, white, black chestnut follow one another. In the red the basic color is gray and white, black and chestnut follow one another and therefore a black band is totally missing. The Sardinian, on the other hand, has a brown collar, bluish feathers on the throat and a sort of double band on the flanks and a double black band.
Red Partridge: Habits
One immediately realizes that recognizing a redhead from the plumage is not at all easy. Much more recommended is to observe the behavior that certainly will not be able to lie. Compared to the others, the redhead usually uses much less wings. It is not a secret: during the escape he prefers to resort to his paws. On the other hand, it is rather shrewd, able to hide itself if necessary among rocks and bushes, disappearing completely from the sight of the hunter and in some cases from the smell of the dog. In the mountains it is able to creep everywhere: among the tufts of grass, among the bushes, in the ditches or among the vegetation more generally. To find it you always need new and well thought out strategies, but above all it is necessary to be accompanied by an animal that knows how to do its job. It is this uncertainty that makes the hunt for redheads an ever new, fascinating adventure that can never tire.
Red Partridge: Life as a couple
Couples are formed at the end of January, usually between members of the same flight. In this period, the male defends his territory both with aggressive demonstrations and with singing, presenting himself as a real suitor. It flaunts its plumage, displays its collar to attract the female's attention and completes the courtship with a real parade: the neck is erect and the wing hanging from the ground. In short, a show to be observed at least once in a lifetime. Once the couple is formed, it is time to build the nest: in nature there are no simpler ones. It is a simple pit in the ground covered with scrub that will soon have to keep 12 to 16 eggs. The hatching, carried out exclusively by the female, lasts about 23 days and the survival of the young depends especially on the climate. If it is cold, mortality will be quite large given the scarce possibility of obtaining insects. Generally speaking, the chicks leave the nest immediately and after 10 days from birth they attempt the first flights. Meanwhile, the mother proves to be rather protective and in the event that the nest is found by a hunter, she often proves capable of distracting its attention, waiting for the escape of her young and also fleeing, leaving the stone hunter.
Red Partridge: The old-fashioned hunt
The hunt for the redhead is never accidental. Once the hunt for this spectacular bird took place more or less like this: we left at night, we reached the hunting place at dawn and once there we were patient. On the other hand, the hunt for redheads was first done with the ears. Behind these, which may seem like clichés, hides a surprising knowledge of the wild. Who knows if modern hunters know that the herd at dawn tends to gather before the pasture. In a group, reassured, the redheads sing. It is no coincidence that it used to be repeated that if the redheads are there, they sing and make themselves heard. On the other hand, the hunter had to know the places well: carefully inspected in the previous days, they were read by the attentive eye of the professional. They were the feathers left in the spollinatura, the footprints on the wet earth, made to tell of the presence of the redhead in the area. Yesterday as today, therefore, the hunting areas should be studied and frequented long before the hunting experience, given that the shooting and capture of the bird are only the final phase of a much longer process.
Once the wild is found, the baton passes into the dog's hands. The hunter is best to be accompanied by a shrewd and capable animal: the redheads are shy, escape with surprising speed and blend into the territory so well that finding them becomes an almost impossible undertaking. They also have the gift of immobility: not infrequently they leave them behind without the dog or hunter noticing anything. Does all this make the hunt for red wine difficult and not very appreciable? I miss it for nothing. It is a different experience every day, to be lived, to be told and remembered.