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The UK supports a quarter of Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata, so a recent halving of numbers has impacted the global population. Low breeding success is a frequently cited cause of decline. We considered breeding success in relation to predator indices and habitat measures within 18 moorland-farmland blocks across several UK regions. Each block comprised one site where gamekeepers lethally controlled predators on moors managed for red grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica (grouse moor) and another on similar habitat where predators were not controlled (non-grouse moor). More wader species occurred on grouse moors, which supported twice the density of waders as non-grouse moors. Curlew productivity was fourfold higher on grouse moors (1.05 fledglings pair-1) than non-grouse moors (0.27). Hatching and fledging success was negatively linked to a combined index of corvids and fox, which were three- to fourfold fewer on grouse moors but were unrelated to 11 habitats and two livestock grazing variables. Similar patterns were observed in three of four other wader species. These behaviour-based findings were validated by observations on actual nests and broods. Grouse moors appear to act as source populations, thereby slowing the current rapid decline. To halt declines and promote curlew recovery in the UK uplands, we recommend that predator control on grouse moors is maintained and longer term land use policies are developed to render landscapes less friendly to currently high levels of generalist predators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A commonly promoted view is that in the absence of driven grouse moor management in the UK uplands, land use on moorland would default to agriculture or afforestation. This forum article questions the orthodoxy of this thinking, discusses alternative scenarios for land use in the uplands and considers the potential effects of these on moorland‐breeding birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to manage conservation conflicts are typically focused on reconciling disputes between opposing stakeholders over conservation objectives. However, this is an oversimplification of conflict dynamics, driven by the difficulties of understanding and addressing deeper-rooted issues. In this study, an ethnographic approach using a combination of informal discussions, participant observation, and in-depth interviews was used to examine local stakeholder narratives around a conservation conflict over grouse shooting and raptor conservation. Analysis highlighted three main narratives – cooperation, resistance, and despondence, that served as a basis for individuals to justify their responses to conflict: to work toward collaboration, act antagonistically, or avoid. Our analysis suggests that the current status quo in conflict management serves to reinforce antagonistic positions. We recommend a more nuanced approach to understanding stakeholder decision-making that goes beyond superficial disputes to recognize diversity within stakeholder groups, access hidden voices, and encompass the wider socio-political context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflict between stakeholders with opposing interests can hamper biodiversity conservation. When conflicts become entrenched, evidence from applied ecology can reveal new ways forward for their management. In particular, where disagreement exists over the efficacy or ethics of management actions, research clarifying the uncertain impacts of management on wildlife can move debates forwards to conciliation.Here, we explore a case‐study of entrenched conflict where uncertainty exists over the impacts of multiple management actions: namely, moorlands managed for the shooting of red grouse (willow ptarmigan) Lagopus lagopus in the United Kingdom (UK). Debate over how UK moorlands should be managed is increasingly polarized. We evaluate, for the first time at a regional scale, the relative impacts of two major moorland management practices—predator control and heather burning—on nontarget bird species of conservation concern.Birds were surveyed on 18 estates across Northern England and Southeast Scotland. Sites ranged from intensively managed grouse moors to moorland sites with no management for grouse shooting. We hypothesised that both targeted predator control and burning regimes would enhance ground‐nesting wader numbers and, as a consequence of this, and of increased grouse numbers, nontarget avian predators should also be more abundant on heavily managed sites.There were positive associations between predator control and the abundance of the three most widespread species of ground‐nesting wader: strong effects for European golden plover Pluvialis apricaria and Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata and, less strongly, for common snipe Gallinago gallinago. These effects saturated at low levels of predator control. Evidence for effects of burning was much weaker. We found no evidence of enhanced numbers of nontarget predators on heavily managed sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Over 25% of the UK land area is covered by uplands, the bulk of which are comprised of blanket bog. This not only contains most of the UK’s terrestrial carbon stocks, but also represents 15% of this globally rare habitat. About 30% of UK blanket bog is managed for red grouse by encouraging ling heather (Calluna vulgaris) with rotational burning, which has been linked to habitat degradation, with reduced carbon storage and negative impacts on water storage and quality. Alternative cutting is currently being pursued as a potential restoration management. However, the often used heavy cutting machinery could cause considerable compaction and damage to the peat surface. Two particular issues are (i) a potential increase in bulk density reducing water storage capacity (i.e., less pore volume and peat depth), and (ii) a possible reduction of the micro-topography due to cutting off the tops of hummocks (i.e., protruding clumps or tussocks of sedges). Methods. We set up a fully replicated field experiment assessing cutting versus burn management impacts on peat physical and surface properties. Both managements reflected commonly used grouse moor management practice with cutting using heavy tractors fitted with load distributing double wheel and tracks (lowering ground pressure), whilst burning was done manually (setting heather areas alight with flame torches). We assessed management impacts on peat depth, bulk density and peat surface micro-topography which either included pre-management measurements or plot-level data for uncut plots. Total peat depth and bulk density in four 5 cm sections within the top 50 cm was assessed. Micro-topography was determined as the standard deviation of the height offsets measured over several plot transects in relation to the plot peat surface level at the start and end points of each transect. Results. Despite an anticipated compaction from the heavy machinery used for cutting, the peat showed resilience and there was no lasting plot-level impact on either peat depth or bulk density. Notably, bulk density showed differences prior to, and thus unrelated to, management, and an overall increasing bulk density, even in uncut plots. However, cutting did reduce the plot micro-topography by about 2 cm, mostly due to removing the tops of hummocks, whereas burnt plots did not differ from uncut plots. Discussion. Cutting is suggested as a suitable alternative to burning on grouse moors, although compaction issues might be site specific, depending on the nature of the peat, the machinery used and impacts at resting and turning points (which were not assessed). However, any observed bulk density differences could reflect natural changes in relation to changes in peat moisture, requiring adequate experimental comparisons. Moreover, where micro-topography is a priority, cutting equipment might need to consider the specific ground conditions, which could involve adjusting cutting height and the type of cutting machinery used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in large-scale land use may fragment and degrade habitats, affecting animal species adapted to these habitats. In the UK uplands for example, changes in sheep and game management, and afforestation, have altered the configuration of internationally important moorland habitat and are predicted to have increased predation pressure for a globally unique suite of breeding birds of international conservation importance., Some of these upland bird species have declined, with particular concern over ground-nesting waders. Using resurveys of the rapidly declining Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata as a focal species of global conservation concern, we investigate whether upland land use predicts low nesting success and population decline., Curlew population changes over an 8- to 10-year period were positively related to gamekeeper density (a surrogate of predator control intensity) and inversely to the area of woodland surrounding sites, as a likely source of predators to adjacent open ground. Model predictions suggest that increasing woodland cover from 0% to 10% of the land area within 1 km of populated sites requires an increase in human predator control effort of about 48%, to a level associated with high-intensity grouse production, to achieve curlew population stability., Curlew nesting success, known to be a key driver of population trends, was also positively related to gamekeeper density and inversely to woodland area surrounding sites, providing a plausible mechanistic link between land use and population change., Synthesis and applications. Upland land use is associated with curlew declines, with predation a likely mechanism, and this may apply to other breeding waders. The removal of isolated woodland plantations from otherwise unafforested landscapes may help reduce predation pressure across a range of systems including moorland. However, direct predator control may also be important to conserve ground-nesting birds in these landscapes, for example, where moorland management and forestry coexist as major land uses. Predator control may also mitigate climate change effects by enhancing wader productivity, particularly where climate effects coincide with changing land use. Emerging land uses in open landscapes, including native woodland restoration and wind farms, require careful siting to minimize further impacts on open-area breeding birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of predators on the distribution, density and dynamics of their prey species has long been of interest to ecologists and wildlife managers. Where the prey population is also utilized by humans, conflicts may arise through competition for a limited resource. Because gamebird shooting in the UK provides employment, recreation and income, the impact of birds of prey on gamebird populations has been the subject of intense debate for many years. Various approaches have been used to assess the impacts that raptors have on gamebird populations. Here we review the applicability and limitations of the methods used and assess the scientific evidence for population-level and economic impacts of raptors on gamebird populations in the UK. Raptors may, in some situations, take large numbers of gamebirds and may be an important proximate cause of mortality, although few studies have addressed the impacts of raptors on either breeding or pre-shooting densities. Two exceptions are studies of Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus, Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus predation on Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus on moorland in Scotland and Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus predation on Grey Partridge Perdix perdix on farmland in England. Both these studies suggested that raptors could have population-level impacts when their gamebird prey was already at low density. Studies on predation of captively bred gamebirds suggest that numbers taken by raptors at release pens vary considerably and in a few cases raptors have been documented killing relatively large numbers. On the whole, however, it appears that raptors account for a relatively small proportion of mortality among released birds and the impact on subsequent shooting bags is unknown. We summarize important gaps in current knowledge and recommend specific areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant, albeit diminishing, proportion of land in Great Britain is actively managed for the purposes of shooting for sport. Although much of this land is not run primarily for economic gain, one particular sporting activity, driven grouse shooting, stands out for its financial contribution to the revenues of those estates which offer it commercially, and can play a substantial role in maintaining the economy of the British shooting estate. Any anthropological account of hunting or shooting in Great Britain, however, would no doubt be judged tantalizingly incomplete without some mention of what to many external observers seems a quintessentially British debate--whether killing animals for sport should be permitted or prohibited by law. Establishing whether grouse shooting does pay is a complex business, as economists who have considered the question have found.

Summary1.Hen harriers Circus cyaneus can reduce the numbers of red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus available for shooting. We conducted a supplementary feeding experiment on Langholm Moor, UK, in 1998 and 1999 to determine whether feeding hen harriers could reduce the numbers of red grouse killed. The experiment was done at two distinct stages of the breeding cycle: prior to incubation (spring experiment) and after hatching (summer experiment). In spring, Langholm Moor was divided into two areas, one with food and one without. In summer a number of birds were provided with food in both areas. 2.Providing harriers with food in spring had no significant effect on the breeding density of males or females, although feeding was associated with an increase in density on one area in one year. In addition, over the 2 years of the experiment, there was no evidence that feeding led to more chicks returning to breed in subsequent years. Fed harriers had larger clutches but did not lay earlier than unfed birds. 3.A minimum of 78% of the radio-tagged grouse that were killed during spring were killed by raptors. The mortality rates of adult grouse did not differ between the two areas or between the two years despite the availability of supplementary food and the large differences in harrier breeding density between areas. We infer that other raptors were responsible for much of the predation of adult grouse. 4.During the nestling period, female harriers took supplementary food at a higher rate than males. Females that were fed during the spring took more supplementary food in summer than those fed only during summer. Fed birds did not deliver more food overall to nests than those not provided with food. 5.Both male and female harriers at nests where supplementary food was available caught grouse chicks at a lower rate than harriers at nests not provided with food. For both years combined, fed harriers delivered on average 0·5 grouse chicks to their nests per 100 h, compared with 3·7 grouse chicks delivered to nests without supplementary food. 6.We estimated that feeding all harriers at Langholm would cost approximately £11 000 per annum. In both 1998 and 1999, the numbers of grouse chicks lost were 10 times higher than expected from harrier predation rates. Some other, unknown, factor had a strong influence on grouse chick survival in these years. Feeding some of the breeding harriers did not lead to an increase in grouse density at Langholm. 7.The results suggest that supplementary feeding may provide a useful tool in reducing the number of grouse chicks taken by harriers. Further experiments are now necessary to see under what conditions this reduced predation will lead to increases in grouse density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. We investigated the effects of three types of host on the persistence of a tick-borne virus, using the grouse-hare-deer-tick-louping ill virus system of upland Britain. Each host differed in its interaction with the vector and pathogen. Grouse amplify virus only, deer amplify vector only and hares amplify both. Grouse alone suffer high virus-induced mortality. 2. An analytical model of the system was parameterized using empirical data from two wild populations with different community structures. By changing relative host densities we examined the conditions under which the virus would persist and considered the possibility of parasite-mediated competition between hosts. 3. Although deer alone and grouse alone were unable to maintain louping ill virus, a deer-grouse community usually allowed virus persistence because grouse transmitted virus while deer maintained the tick population. Since virus reduces grouse populations this is a type of apparent competition, and is unusual because deer do not amplify the virus. 4. At very high deer densities, the opposite effect could occur, whereby virus died out because of 'wasted' infected tick bites on deer, that do not transmit virus (the dilution effect). 5. In a hare-grouse two-host system virus usually persisted because hares amplified both the vector and virus (through non-viraemic transmission). Thus, apparent competition may occur between mountain hares and grouse. 6. The addition of a third host type increased the likelihood of disease persistence. Hares added to the deer-grouse system rendered the dilution effect unlikely because of additional virus amplifiers. Deer added to the hare-grouse system meant virus almost always persisted because they amplified the vector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the history of bird ringing in Great Britain. It highlights the celebration of the centenary of modern bird ringing in Britain in 2009 which led to a number of publications on the history of ringing in the country. It cites the start of large-scale, collaborative ringing in 1909 using numbered rings bearing return addresses. It offers information on three grouse-ringing inquiries, reflecting the economic importance of the species.

1. The presence of predators may lead to conflict between different stakeholders. Finding ways to resolve such conflicts is a challenge to all involved. 2. Within the UK a long and, at times, acrimonious conflict has developed around the conservation of hen harriers Circus cyaneus on moorland managed for red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus. This paper follows our original forum article and the replies from colleagues in the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT). 3. Whilst differences of opinion remain, there are encouraging signs that both sides are striving for consensus. There is broad agreement that evidence is required on three fronts to address: (1) the ecological, economic and social consequences of alternative forms of land management in the uplands; (2) the efficacy of diversionary feeding of hen harriers; and (3) the utility of a brood management scheme to improve harrier conservation status and reduce the extent of the conflict. 4. Synthesis and applications: The conflict between hen harrier conservation and red grouse management has existed for decades with little sign of progress. For the first time, stakeholders, researchers and policy advisors are engaged in effective dialogue and are striving for solutions. There are encouraging signs that all sides are now willing to listen to alternative viewpoints and appear prepared to seriously consider compromises. It is to be hoped that a solution to the harrier–grouse conflict can be found as this will have considerable positive ramifications for management of heather moorlands in the UK and wider implications for the conservation of predators around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a remark from the British Royal Society of the Protection of Birds (RSPB) on the possible extinction of the English Hen Harrier. The bird, also called Circus cyaneus, is said to face extinction due to human pressure. A 2011 survey conducted by the organizations RSPB and Natural England shows that only four nesting pairs have been raised young with success. Grouse-moor owners are urged to execute techniques that lessen the predatory impacts on grouse from the birds.

The article presents updates on bird populations in Great Britain as of 1908. Two records of a few birds each have been reported of Syrrhaptes paradoxus or Pallas's sand-grouse in Yorkshire during the irruption of this bird. An adult female Glareola pratincola was obtained on July 13, 1908, at the Flannan Islands and it is the third example of the species obtained in Scotland.