Country diary: Winter isn't the same without the grey partridges | Kate Blincoe

Caistor St Edmund, Norfolk: We've managed the land so that these birds might thrive, but we, and they, are up against other forcesI break ice on the water tanks so the horses can drink, trying not to freeze my hands. A hoarfrost sparkles on the pastures as the sun cuts through. It's a pretty scene, but I feel a tinge of anxiety. Frosted grass has higher sugar levels that can increase the risk of laminitis in horses, an incredibly painful hoof condition. They all look fine though, and my old boy enjoys his warm feed.Four cock pheasants are sparring in the meadow. In pairs, they lower their heads and charge at each other, flapping wings in territorial display. Yet something is missing from this landscape. Just a couple of years ago, a covey of grey partridges strutted this field, their horseshoe-marked bellies stuck out, like busybodies in a rush. But now they are gone. Continue reading...