Changes in bags of three gamebirds since 1900

The National Gamebag Census provides a historical dimension that is missing in other UK bird monitoring schemes, as for some species bag records extend back for over 100 years. We review below the trends in bags of three game species - red grouse, woodcock and snipe - that are in addition poorly covered by such other schemes.

The bags have been collected through our National Gamebag Census (NGC), thanks to many volunteers. The NGC began formally in 1961, but many shoots have contributed earlier historical records; others have joined more recently. For each species, shoots that provided one year of data only were omitted, as were years when no bags were given. We have taken shoot turnover into account in our analysis of long-term trends, and we present changes in the average annual number of birds shot per 100 hectares as an index relative to the situation in 1900 (index value of 1).

Red grouse

Between 1900 and 2002, a total of 495 upland moors provided data on red grouse bags. The bags show strong annual fluctuations, but nevertheless it is clear that there were high bags up to the Second World War, a collapse in numbers shot during the War itself, followed by a partial recovery until the early 1970s, then a further decline over 30 years of the order of -40% (see Figure 1).

This pattern reflects the intense management for grouse carried out by the Victorians and Edwardians, which included predator eradication and rotational heather burning to produce a patchwork of different-aged stands. Grouse management was largely abandoned during the Second World War, but recovered until the mid-1970s, when grazing, afforestation and predators increased, reducing grouse abundance and bags.

Figure 1. Red grouse index of bag density (National Gamebag Census data), relative to 1900

Snipe

Between 1900 and 2002, a total of 1,029 shoots provided data on snipe. Bags come primarily from wintering birds, which migrate from northern and eastern Europe. The trend is an increase up to the Second World War (with a dip during the First World War) followed by a collapse and on-going decline throughout the second half of the 20th century (see Figure 2). This pattern reflects changes in land drainage and cultivation. The loss of wetlands and damp meadows probably accounts for this drop in wintering snipe bags.

Figure 2. Snipe index of bag density (National Gamebag Census data), relative to 1900

Woodcock

Between 1900 and 2002, a total of 1,290 shoots provided data on woodcock. Like snipe, woodcock that are shot are mostly wintering birds. Ringing returns suggest that approximately one in seven is local, the others arriving from Scandinavia, the Baltic States and Russia. The trend in the woodcock bag is very different from the other species. The average bag during the last 30 years of the 20th century is similar to, or even higher than during the first 30 years (see Figure 3). This may indicate that the status of woodcock in Europe has changed little over the last century, and that the conservation status of this secretive bird has been misjudged.

Figure 3. Woodcock index of bag density (National Gamebag Census data), relative to 1900

We thank the keepers, farmers and landowners who have kept records over the last 100 years and who have so kindly made them available to us.