Black grouse flying high following English counts
Conservationists involved in the turbulent recovery process of the rare
black grouse in the north of England are jubilant because more than 1,000
male black grouse were recorded in the recent spring counts of the English
population.
This spring, Phil Warren, the black grouse recovery officer, has coordinated
a survey that has involved dawn visits to their traditional spring mating
or lek sites each morning to count each and every bird. He is naturally
thrilled about the result and said, “This is absolutely fabulous
news and we can now confidently announce that the English black grouse
population has finally turned the corner.”
The English black grouse counts are carried out every four years and since
1998, when the population stood at just 800 males, there has been a slow
but steady increase in numbers. The last count in 2002 recorded 893 male
birds and this year’s figure of 1,023 male birds gives renewed hope
of achieving the next phase of the project, which is to extend the range
of this magnificent bird.
Dr Dave Baines, from The Game Conservancy Trust - joint lead partner in
the black grouse UK Biodiversity Action Plan with the Royal Society for
the Protection of Birds (RSPB), said, “This year has definitely
been a milestone for black grouse recovery in England. We have managed
to secure project funding for a further five years and the core population
has risen to an all-time high during the project period. The drive is
now on to firmly extend their range into former haunts on the southern
and northern fringes of their range.”
Dr Mark Avery, of the RSPB, said: “We are delighted to see this
milestone result for the North Pennines Recovery Project. It is a ray
of hope following the gloomy UK picture shown by last year’s national
survey.
“Excitingly, black grouse have increased in other areas of England
and Wales too, including Lake Vyrnwy and Geltsdale RSPB reserves, where
numbers of displaying males have doubled since last year.”
The Raby Estate within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty works closely with the Black Grouse Recovery Project and is a shining
example of how grouse moor management by the estate’s gamekeepers
combined with sympathetic farming using agri-environment schemes, supports
13% of the English population. Lord Barnard, owner of Raby Estate, is
delighted with the latest figures and said, “Overall this project
has been most successful, although Teesdale probably had the most black
grouse before the project began. This has been and continues to be a very
worthwhile project.”
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