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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...
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The year 2024 has officially been declared “the worst year for bumblebees since records began” by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. While out in the field surveying pollinators across southern England, GWCT researchers also noticed a shocking decline in bee numbers compared to previous years. And...
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What are your first memories of the countryside?
Luckily I was born and brought up on the farm where I still live, in East Hertfordshire, so my very earliest memories are rural ones. I had two older brothers, but they were nearer in age to each other, so I sometimes ended up on my own during sch...
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Written by Jayna Connelly, Science Communicator
Native ladybird species in the UK:
The UK is home to around 47 native ladybird species, many of which are tiny and rarely noticed—some are less than 3 mm long!
Not all ladybirds are red with black spots—many smaller species are yellow, brown, or ev...
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Black grouse in the UK have declined severely in both population size and range over the past 200 years. To measure trends in numbers over time in northern England, our GWCT Uplands team counts lekking males in the spring from vantage points. To measure breeding productivity, we also count black...
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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...
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Are you planning on visiting Ragley Hall for The Game Fair on 25-27 July? We would love to see you there and have lots going on at our stand. You can find us at stand number E1121.
Get the latest updates on our work
Throughout the weekend a number of our scientists will be available to discuss th...
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By Alex Keeble, Central England Game & Wildlife Advisor
Travelling across the country, I witness a variety of pheasant release pens in all shapes and sizes; from temporary top-netted pens releasing a hundred or so pheasant poults to larger, open-topped pens. Release pens should provide a saf...
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By Jayna Connelly, Science Communicator
The UK is home to around 270 different bee species. Just one of these is the familiar honeybee, another 24 are bumblebees, and the rest are solitary species that are often overlooked or mistaken for flies or flying ants. Despite their smaller size, solitary...
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By Dr Andrew Hoodless, Director of Research, GWCT
A wisp of snipe by David Tipling
In a groundbreaking step for bird conservation, our new migration study on the common snipe is underway. While much research has focused on Eurasian woodcock, there is still a lot to learn about the snipe - a bir...
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