April

In northern England, black grouse are found on the moor fringe, where females, also known as greyhens, nest and rear their chicks.

Since joining in March I have hit the ground running with an intense programme of fieldwork on the first year of our expanded Maternal Grouse project that was launched in Scotland this year, spending many hours on the moors already. 

In February, two members of our Uplands Research and Advisory staff were invited to the Virological Surveillance Unit at the Moredun Research Institute (MRI) to mark the start of a closer collaboration between the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) and the MRI.

The uplands are under more pressure than ever, shifting land‑use, policy restrictions, changing weather patterns, biodiversity concerns, and public scrutiny. Effective moorland management needs both rigorous evidence-based science and practical ‘boots on the ground’ ecological understanding.