Nice views of a male Merlin this morning. Any day that you see a Merlin is a good day in my book and, sadly, the sightings have become less frequent during the last decade. When I first moved to Darley Dale in 1998 they regularly bred on both Beeley and East Moor but they gradually became less frequent with the last pair in 2007.
I postulated about the possible impact of climate change on Merlin when writing about the decline of the Red Grouse and as with the grouse it's difficult to come up with an explanation. Numbers have recovered in the past from declines in the early twentieth century and in the 1970's, following the adverse effects of organo-chloride pesticides, so perhaps we will see them back as a breeding bird one day.
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| Merlin - male |
The decline in merlin and red grouse corresponds exactly with when the moor stopped being managed for shooting. Predator control and controlled heather burning stopped and so you see a massive decline in not only grouse but also merlin and many of the waders such as curlew and golden plover. Nothing to do with global warming as where these management practices still take place these species are thriving.
ReplyDeleteInteresting point Alec, and doubtless there is some truth in what you say, I'm not against shooting per se and I'm sure there are opportunities to improve the the moorland diversity via direct management. At the moment it looks like bracken and birch scrub encroachment will significantly reduce the heather moorland in the coming decades.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that the illegal actions of a small number of gamekeepers in persecuting birds of prey is polarising the wildlife v shooting argument creating a false impression that the two are mutually exclusive.