Twenty black grouse have successfully been translocated from their stronghold in the North Pennines to the North York Moors to help expand their range.
Ten hens and ten cocks were caught at night during November and early December, and immediately transported to the release site two hours’ drive away by researchers from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT).
The North Yorkshire site had been specially selected for the birds as it provides the required mix of habitats for them.
The team used thermal binoculars, lamps and hand-held nets to capture the birds and 15 of them were fitted with radio transmitters to allow the experts to follow their settlement patterns, survival and lekking behaviour. The translocation was carried out under a licence from Natural England.
Dr Phil Warren, from GWCT and leading the project, says:
“Initial visits to the North York Moors show that birds have settled in the vicinity of the release area.
“This is a really positive sign, and we will continue to monitor movements and survival over the winter months and through the breeding season to assess how they settle, survive and breed.
“The data will also help us decide if we will make any further releases, and if those will be done in the same area, or whether we try to find a second recipient site to help establish a network of inter-connected lekking groups.
Black grouse are a Red List species of high conservation concern. In England, they are now largely restricted to the North Pennines, which includes parts of County Durham, Northumberland, Cumbria and North Yorkshire. Here, numbers remain broadly stable, fluctuating between 1-2,000 displaying males over the last 25 years.
The North York Moors were selected following landscape-scale habitat improvements on the fringes of moorland managed for grouse shooting. Work carried out included removing conifer woodland and restoring the ground to bog, heath and scrub woodland. Moorland grasslands have also been managed more extensively to control bracken control and restore bilberry and heather.
Occasional females have been spotted here in recent years, but no breeding has been recorded. However it is hoped that the climate in the North York Moors, which is drier and warmer in June when chicks hatch, will also help the birds re-establish populations here.
Natural re-colonisation of black grouse to the North York Moors from the existing populations in the North Pennines is currently limited by the 30-km gap across unsuitable lowland farmland habitats in the Vale of Mowbray.
Phil adds:
“This translocation could not have been done without the invaluable help from the landowners and keepers at the donor sites, who have provided excellent support.
“Thanks to their efforts, and the help from the owners and keepers of the recipient sites, we hope to see black grouse established in the North York Moors.”
Then project has been led by researchers from the GWCT’s Uplands team and funded by £164,000 from Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme Capital Grant Scheme. There are more details about the scheme at https://www.gwct.org.uk/research/species/birds/black-grouse/range-expansion-project/
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