April 2010

MARCH has been an interesting and event filled month.
The weather has gone from one extreme to another, with nearly a fortnight without rain or snow and hard frosts drying the moor to a point I haven’t seen before. Then, by the end of the month, we were back to rain, more snow and saturation point.

During the dry spell we were able to get on with some heather burning. What a difference it makes to planning and organising work when the weather is set fair and you know what you’ll be doing for a few days. We soon fell into a routine of checking our traps and snares first thing, and then getting away burning once the frost was gone. A long spell of dry weather also makes it easier when hiring in contractors and helpers, as I was able to give them a firm booking and some notice.

As the moor dries out, the risk of a runaway fire increases. Our long heather and Molinia (white grass) is a volatile mixture; even after making a double cut with the tractor and swipe, the fire can still whizz across the cut and get away in no time. We had two or three hairy moments, but with lots of flapping and the use of the fire unit (which douses the flames) we soon got things back under control. When working in these conditions, we have to make sure that one fire is completely extinguished before we move onto the next.

The fine conditions also enabled us to burn on some of our highest ground — for the first time in two years — where we were able to use the remaining snow as firebreaks, which made the job a lot easier.
Whilst we have been burning we have come across several grouse kills, which is quite alarming. These discoveries coincide with what we have been seeing on our usual rounds; it’s a trend that Damian, the chief scientist, has noticed while grouse counting, too.

Damian and his pointer, Sidney, are now nearing the end of the counts and so far it looks as though there has only been a slight increase in stock on last year. This is disappointing given the good overwinter survival rate and an encouraging autumn count last year.
Meanwhile, Spring is continuing to bring the moor back to life. I have seen a very grumpy adder hissing and spluttering like a stunted King Cobra — perhaps he’s as confused by the ever-changing weather patterns as we are. The hairy fox moth caterpillars have also emerged from their winter quarters. Our many visiting birds are virtually all here now: a full set of waders, stonechat, reed bunting and wheatear. And recently, to my delight, I spotted a hen ring ouzel.

During the dry period at the beginning of March, puddles were scarce and frogs were queuing up to mate and produce their spawn. Some had to jettison their cargo before they reached the water, leaving little piles of dehydrated eggs that looked just like caviar. Seeing the eggs in this state — before they expand in the water — answered one of life’s mysteries as to how small frogs manage to produce such great big blobs of spawn.

The migrant scientists and harrier experts (Aly McCluskie and Paula Keane) have also returned to the moor and, as if by magic, a returning male hen harrier established a territory, before being joined a couple of days later by a female. This year, they have got on with sorting themselves out quickly. The sky dancing and copulation has already taken place and they seem to be quite settled.

As this is the first pair to appear this year, they will be fed diversionary feed during the pre-nesting period. It’s a busy time for Damian, Paula and Aly, as they will be carrying out this year’s vole abundance monitoring and fox scat clear-up rounds in between constant observation of the harriers.

We recently caught the last three hen grouse to be radio tagged, as it will soon be too late to handle them because eggs are being formed in their ovaries.