January 2010

WHO HAS been dreaming of a white Christmas, because they’ve got a lot to answer for?

Our trapping success really slowed down at the beginning of December, but a bit of snow is a good way of helping us to see what’s about. If it falls at the right time, an early start can pay dividends by trailing a fox or locating where a stoat is working.

We had some luck when one of our keepers bolted and shot a fox in mid-December, but many of the earths were not occupied – although it always pays to keep checking.

Foxes are now mating and have started exploring earths in which to have their cubs, marking them with scats.

As more snow accumulates, it gets harder to move about and a thick covering over the heather restricts where the grouse can feed. In this instance, the long, rank heather has worked in our favour and kept our grouse on the hill. Many have come down from the higher ground where the snow is several feet deep. On the lower slopes there is enough heather poking through for the grouse to fill their crops. I walked up to some of the higher ground to examine how much living heather was accessible; as I was worried that only dead, beetled heather would be available. What a walk it was: one minute I was up, the next I was down. On the level, the snow was up to my knees, but in the hollows and the gulleys, it was up to my waist! But the effort was worth it, as I saw for myself where the grouse had been feeding, which was reassuring.

After all the grouses’ efforts to pair up – and all that to-ing and fro-ing – they are now moving around in large packs. There’s safety in numbers, as they need all eyes to be vigilant because, at times like this, it really is a matter of survival of the fittest for every creature on the moor.

The snow has also limited the sheep on the hill in their movement, although they do scratch a living and help to expose heather to the grouse. Where the sheep have been taken off the hill, this is not happening. But thanks to the longer heather and the grouse’s ability to travel miles to find food, they are better equipped to cope with the snow than us humans.