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Black Grouse lekking on the North York Moors for the first time in living memory

By Holly Appleby and Molly Brown, Uplands Research Black grouse were once numerous and widespread in England, yet over the last 150 years, the population has become increasingly isolated due to low breeding success, habitat fragmentation and changes in landscape configuration. The remaining birds...

Predation Control: Can closed seasons work?

By Mike Swan, Senior Advisor Twenty or so years ago I struck up a slightly weird ‘friendship’ with a man who owned a few acres of woodland in Devon, where he lived in a yurt. He was not against shooting, and was positively enthusiastic about my passion for coastal wildfowling, but he hated the bi...

Disease monitoring in Red Grouse

Will our moors become silent?

By Henrietta Appleton, GWCT Policy Officer A couple of weeks ago I (and my colleagues Eleanor and Sally) had the pleasure of being part of a Moorland Matters event. These informal get togethers of those with an interest in our uplands are a great way to experience moorland wildlife and to learn t...

Driven Grouse Shooting debate: recognising the science

Many readers will be aware of the recent scrutiny facing grouse shooting. At the start of the year Wild Justice once again launched a petition calling for the ban of driven grouse shooting, and in May this petition gained the 100,000 signatures necessary for the topic to be debated by Parliament....

Black Grouse Range Expansion Project FAQs

What is the Black Grouse Range Expansion Project? Why are black grouse populations declining? How will the project help increase black grouse breeding success? Why is the North York Moors a suitable location for re-establishing black grouse? How will black grouse be moved to the North York Moor...

Rewilding grouse moors not the answer: our letter to The Spectator

Taking Flight: Inside the GWCT Black Grouse Expansion Project

From the North Pennines to the North York Moors: The GWCT Black Grouse Translocation Project is in full swing! Our latest short film (above) offers an exclusive glimpse into the incredible work our team is doing to safeguard this iconic species. The Black Grouse Range Expansion Project, funded b...

Monitoring ticks on grouse. Are they on the increase?

Response to a new study on ticks, Borrelia bacteria and Lyme disease potential in relation to pheasant release pens

Dr Rufus Sage head of lowland game research and Dr Andrew Hoodless director GWCT research In the late 1990s GWCT worked with researchers at the University of Oxford to investigate the potential for pheasants to harbour Ixodes ricinus ticks and to contract and transmit from and to those ticks, var...