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Why our beautifully-kept grouse moors should be celebrated not blasted: Our letter to the Salisbury Journal

Moor to be merry about when discussing our prized grouse moors: Our letter to The Guardian

Red grouse pair count results from Scotland: Visible effects of poor 2024 breeding season

By Felix Meister, D.Phil., Advisor Scotland In March and early April, GWCT staff commenced the 2025 red grouse monitoring season by carrying out pair counts across Scotland. Pair counts aim to determine the number of pairs going into the breeding season. The current monitoring regime extends over...

The Glorious 12th - prospects for the coming season and why this is important

Written by Kathy Fletcher, Phil Warren, Felix Meister and Henrietta Appleton What the grouse counts tell us about this season’s prospects In July and August, GWCT staff and their pointing dogs revisited study sites across the North of England and Scotland to count red grouse. After the pair count...

Black grouse are disappearing

By Andrew Hoodless, GWCT Head of Research Black grouse are vanishing from our landscape. Once found across much of the UK, these remarkable birds are now restricted to only a few areas. We urgently need your help. With your support, our scientists can gather crucial data to guide conservation ef...

'Shooting helps to fund the rural communities that have been managing our precious heather grouse moors for generations': Our letter to The Telegraph

BBC looks into the decline in red grouse in Scotland

The decline in breeding pairs of red grouse in Scotland was highlighted on both TV and radio by the BBC this week. The GWCT’s 2025 spring count, which is part of our nationwide monitoring programme at 35 sites in the Angus, Borders, Dee/Donside, Highlands, Moray & Nairn, and Perthshire, showe...

Grand Grouse Draw Day – Burncastle

Written by a Winner of the Grand Grouse Draw Day. One of the aspects of being a supporter of the GWCT is the fun of entering their draws. It is a way of supporting their work with the added spice of a chance to win exceptional days in the field. I had bought tickets for a day’s driven grouse shoo...

GPS tagging black grouse in the North Pennines

By Holly Appleby, Species Recovery Project Assistant, Uplands Research In northern England, black grouse breed on the moor fringe, where females, also known as greyhens, often nest in rushy pastures and rear their chicks in rough grazings and grassy habitats. Unlike red grouse, hens rear chicks w...

Scotland: Red grouse health testing in 2024

By Felix Meister, D.Phil., Advisor Scotland The beginning of the new calendar year offers an opportunity to reflect on the results of the health testing in red grouse carried out by GWCT Advisory Services Scotland in 2024. Samples Red grouse are routinely monitored for the presence of strongyle ...