March 2010

ALTHOUGH we still have snow in drifts on the higher ground, the lower ground is snow free and drying out rapidly.

We have had several good days’ heather burning. Up to the end of February, we have had 122 fires. The measurement and location of each fire has been recorded by GPS, so we can work out the total area that we have burned. Being able to burn into snow is very reassuring and means we can get on, as we know where the fire is going to go out.

There is definitely a touch of spring in the air, despite continual hard frosts. The birds have begun to sing; pipits and skylarks have returned in small numbers and the fieldfares have gone. Oystercatchers are back in Langholm, but I’ve yet to see any higher up on the moor. Ravens have taken up their traditional nest sites and carrion crows are becoming more obvious as they move about in search of new territories.

I noticed that the first cotton grass buds have appeared while I was putting peat sod in the grit boxes to make them more attractive to the grouse, in the hope that they will take the medicated grit more readily. Grouse droppings are also starting to change colour by becoming greener. I guess this is because they are starting to eat these buds and shoots, and other new plant growth. I am, however, concerned about the new heather growth, as this valuable food source has been caught by the harsh frosts and is looking quite stressed.

The next few weeks are critical to the success of the grouse’s breeding season. After a hard winter, the birds need to get into tip-top condition if they are to lay a good, healthy clutch of eggs and incubate them successfully. Their condition will dictate the amount of eggs and their hatchability. If the hen is not fit, she will not stay on the nest for the 25-day incubation period, which tests the hen to its limits. During the incubation period, unhealthy hens can succumb to strongyle worm.

What has been fascinating is the last radio-tracking mission that Damian carried out, looking for birds that had not been located in the area where they had been caught even though their transmitters hadn’t switched to mortality mode. To our surprise, and delight, they weren’t dead, but had in fact moved quite a distance away from their original home ranges. One bird that was caught as a poult at Twislehope is now on Whita hill, some 10km away; while another has crossed the River Esk and the A7, from Broomholmshiels to Warb Law Hill.