December 2009

THE weather is the main topic of conversation in many parts of the country, I’m sure. Here, 404mm – or just less than 16 inches – of rain fell in November; last year we had 95mm and the 10-year average for the month is 156mm. I have alluded to the problems that this amount of rainfall gives us in previous diaries – so they continue and get harder.

The grouse just tough it out along with the odd wren; most other birds have left the moor, with the exception of snipe who seem to be delighting in these conditions. With hardly any frost, these beautiful long-beaked birds can prod and probe the ground to their hearts’ content. I have been fortunate to see these birds at really close quarters several times: they freeze, motionless to the ground before bursting into their evasive, zigzag flight.

Their larger cousin – the woodcock – is here in good numbers too, flushing from the bracken and scrub around the edge of the moor. They are more obvious at night, flicking up in the beam when we’re out foxing.

Picking the right night for differing nocturnal activities is always a challenge and sometimes we have to go out in less than ideal conditions. It’s best to go lamping for foxes on a clear, dark night; however, trying to catch radio tagged grouse on a still, bright night, is not such a good idea. The Project’s Chief Scientist, Damian Bubb, and I ventured out recently in a bid to catch a specific grouse that needs a new transmitter collar, because the battery is due to run out shortly. We successfully performed this task with another grouse a few weeks ago, which went like clockwork. However, on the night in question, the grouse led us a merry dance. Walking about at night on steep banks of long heather – me armed with a lamp and a net and Damian with his receiver aerial – is hard work. What’s more, this grouse was having none of it: flushing before we could even see it, a whir of wing and a flash of brown as the bird disappeared into the blackness. After we’d both uttered a few choice mutterings, Damian picked up a faint signal some way away. And so we trudged that way and tried again: three times we tried to catch this grouse, and three times we failed. All the grouse seemed very jumpy that night, and so, three hours later, we decided enough was enough.