Red Grouse - GOING, GOING, almost GONE

There could be no glorious (or inglorious!) 12th on Beeley or the Eastern Moors with the Red Grouse perilously close to disappearing altogether. This year I've seen just two pairs on Beeley Moor, which I visit regularly and only a single pair on East Moor. There could be one or two more birds on East Moor which I tend to visit a little less frequently than Beeley and don't cover all areas.

Red Grouse - male

One pair I have seen regularly on Beeley and they should have grown young by now but I last saw them on 20th July with no sign of any young birds then. 

Why the numbers have declined so seriously is a mystery to me. Twenty years ago I regularly saw groups of 15 to 20 birds and in the 60's and 70's I have been told of flocks of a 100 birds.

It must be at least 10 years since there was any shooting on the moor and it's an achievement to see one now let alone shoot one. 

There are foxes and badgers around the moor but I have not noticed any significant increase in number over the last couple of decades.

Raven numbers continue to increase in the area but they are still only present in small numbers around the moor. A few years ago a large group of Carrion Crow numbering over a hundred birds were seen regularly on the moor and whilst there are still large numbers around they appear to spend most of their time around the fields on Screetham Lane and only venture on to the moors in small numbers.

Is it climate change? Climatic changes over the last few decades have been put forward as a reason for the reduction in Merlin numbers in parts of Yorkshire with nesting records showing that the Merlins were gradually moving to higher altitudes and could explain why the Merlin has disappeared from both Beeley and East Moor where there is no opportunity to seek out significantly higher ground.

The moorlands themselves are changing with a decrease in heather and increase in bracken, and birch trees are taking hold in many areas perhaps in part due to dryer conditions.

The Red Grouse can still be found in good numbers a short distance to the north in the High Peak. In many of these areas the moorlands are still managed for grouse shooting and the numbers in some of these areas may be unnaturally high, partly through the removal of all predators, sadly including the illegal killing of birds of prey, but I have even fewer sightings of harriers and other raptors over the moors than I do of Red Grouse.

The thought of Beeley and East Moor without Red Grouse is like fish without chips or salt without pepper, the moors and grouse belong together but I am pessimistic that it will remain so for much longer. I hope I'm wrong.