There really aren’t that many people involved in grouse shooting – it’s a niche hobby for the rich invented in the Victorian age and clinging on by its fingernails in the modern world. But once you get your eye in, you see them popping up everywhere in modern-day Britain. What failing government wouldn’t want to…
Tag: grouse shooting
Driven grouse shooting – a mingle underpinned by wildlife crime
Coverage of the government ruling on whether Red Grouse shooting (open season 12 Aug- 10 Dec) and Pheasant shooting (open season 1 Oct – 1 Feb in England, Wales and Scotland) can go ahead has been phenomenal. I’ve had journalists phone me up today struggling to understand why their editor is wanting another piece on…
Christmas is cancelled – but the grouse must be shot
A day at the races? No. An afternoon at the football? No. Jogging with six friends? Of course not. A day on a grouse moor? Of course old boy. Rich people travelling from the towns to the uplands, drinking and shooting and then travelling home? An epidemiologist’s nightmare! The track and trace records for these…
Brood meddling of Hen Harriers – where next?
The daft government brood-meddling scheme, one of the most controversial so-called conservation actions of my time in nature conservation has always been controversial but following the recent news on Hen Harriers it is in even greater trouble. Brood -meddling (called brood management by its supporters) consists of removing young Hen Harriers from their nests, rearing…
Natural England misleads minister who misleads parliament?
The war of words over Hen Harriers reached a new low this week with Natural England feeding a minister, Rebecca Pow, inaccurate information which she passed on to Parliament, if the RSPB is to be believed – and I am sure they are to be believed. In yesterday’s statement from RSPB which laid out the…
Dull title, important paper
You may remember the EMBER study which was published in 2014? I’ve always thought that it was an important study and a good study, although it deals with a bunch of science that is not my area of expertise. Certainly, if true, its findings are important because it forms part of the basis for the…
Guest blog – Keep the Red Grouse Flying by James Walsh
James Walsh, also known as The Mancunian Birder, ecologist / author / journalist, is the author of “Northern Greenhouse – A New Vision of the North” and “Greater Manchester Birding City Region” Twitter: @MancunianBirder Website: mancunianbirder.wordpress.com YouTube: Mancunian Birder Here he keeps the Red Grouse flag flying high… whilst listening to Aztec Camera on Buzz…
Guest blog: A stranger’s Short Diary on encountering the grouse and pheasant shooting industry for the first time
The first year visiting village X, February 2018 I can only see a few feet ahead of me. A Swaledale trots up, but huffily bleats her complaint when she realises I’m not the farmer. A Red Grouse whirrs “go back, go back” and drops like an arrow at the end of its trajectory and is…
Looking back on the last week…
This week of the year has become a busy one in my life in recent years. The run up to Hen Harrier Day, the day itself, the Inglorious 12th and the aftermath of that day create a fair amount of activity. So, how have things gone? Not much grouse shooting this year? There are lots…
Thoughts on today’s Inglorious 12th
I’ve enjoyed today’s Inglorious 12th more than most. I’ve had a relatively relaxing day. When I watered the vegetables at 6am this morning before making a cup of tea, I had seen the expected news that Labour had come out in favour of licensing grouse shooting. This is very much to be welcomed. Looking back…