Grouse moor owners hail report that finds rare birds are thriving

GROUSE moor owners have hit back at claims that shoots harm wildlife by commissioning a report showing rare birds are thriving on their land.

Last week naturalist Chris Packham called for an end to grouse shooting, labelling the sport “moorland vandalism” and criticised gamekeepers for killing hen harriers – Britain’s rarest bird of prey – to prevent them eating grouse chicks.

The RSPB says that intensive land management practices, such as burning and drainage of peatlands, tracks, and the killing of mountain hares to reduce the incidence of disease in grouse, harm wildlife.

But, a new study commissioned by a dozen grouse moors, and undertaken by Newcastle and Durham universities, which surveyed 18 moorland estates across England and Scotland found some birds were flourishing.

It found 76 bird species on the grouse moors including 43 that were endangered.

In their preliminary results the researchers found equal numbers of birds of prey and owls where gamekeepers were most active compared with where they were least active.

They also found that skylark were 32 per cent more prolific with intensive gamekeeper protection and there were six times as many curlew and eight times as many golden plover on sites with highly intensive predator control than on areas with hardly any control.

Curlew are so endangered in Britain that RSPB scientists have said they should be “considered the UK’S highest conservation priority bird species”.

The researchers found 24 times as many lapwing on the intensive sites with hardly any seen where gamekeepers were not active.

Snipe and oyster catcher were also much more prolific when protected from predators like foxes, stoats and crows. In conclusion, first author Dr

‘This grouse moor-funded report tells us what we have known. Grouse moors are good for grouse’

Nick Littlewood, of the School of Biology at Newcastle University, said: “The preliminary results indicate the importance of grouse moors for a number of upland birds, especially waders.”

However the report did not look into hen harrier numbers, and conservationists say that grouse shooting is directly contributing to the rapid fall in numbers.

There are just four breeding pairs left in England.

Jeff Knott, the RSPB’S head of Nature Policy said: “This grouse moor funded report tells us what we’ve known for some time. Grouse moors are good for grouse.”