Red grouse management and shooting can contribute significantly to rural economies whilst delivering a plethora of wider biodiversity and environmental benefits. However, a bad breeding season, where no shooting takes place, can impact badly on rural businesses that rely on the income generated by grouse shooting. So, with the red grouse shooting season opening tomorrow, and following one of the worst breeding seasons for 30 years in 2021, many estates will be hoping their grouse have fared a little better this year.
Annual counts are essential for determining whether there is a harvestable surplus of birds, and when it comes to counting grouse, consistency is key. The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust have been monitoring red grouse in the same way at the same sites for over 40 years. Spring counts tell us the pre-breeding density, whilst July counts help determine breeding success, and allow harvest predictions to be made; this in turn informs how many days shooting can be held.
This year in Scotland, just two GWCT staff and five pointing dogs (a mixture of pointer, setter, and HPR breeds) surveyed 33 sites, each of approximately 100 ha. At each site, we walk six equally spaced parallel transect lines through the count area, whilst the dog “quarters” either side of the transect line hunting grouse by scent. The dog points when a grouse is located, allowing the observer to walk to the point, flush the birds and record the number, age, and sex.
Last year, poor quality habitat and an exceptionally cold spring resulted in hens being in bad nutritional condition, which may have been partially to blame for the difficult season. This year, a much milder spring was the source of some quiet optimism amongst many of those involved in grouse management.
After four weeks of counting, and having travelled the length and breadth of Scotland, we finally counted our last site earlier this week. Overall, it seems that 2022 has been a much better year for grouse with sites producing on average more than double the number of young birds seen last year. However, the effects of last year’s disastrous season are still being felt, and many will be looking at 2022 as a chance to carefully build stock rather than the better year they might have been hoping for earlier in the season.
No two moors are the same and this year we have seen considerable variation between estates and even between beats. There are a number of known factors that impact how well red grouse breed including habitat condition, invertebrate food availability, and predation. In some parts, disease and rising numbers of parasites have also undoubtably contributed to the differences in breeding success between sites.
Each year, estates rely on our Upland Advisory Service to provide expert insight into disease management and population monitoring. We offer a complete health and disease service covering both Louping-ill and strongylosis testing, along with thorough advice on heather management and grazing strategies. The information provided by our Advisors can help assist with harvesting analysis and inform current moorland management practices. A forensic look at everything may be more important than ever given the dire season experienced by many last year.
For more information about disease and population monitoring in red grouse, please contact Hugo Straker (hstraker@gwct.org.uk 07713 074147) or Nick Hesford (nhesford@gwct.org.uk 07896 006332).