Bog Myrtle & Peat

Walking on the hill this afternoon, it was interesting to see just how little is available in the way of food for the red grouse. The snow has been lying since the start of the month, and successive frosts have baked the powdery covering into a white shell. Here and there, a tuft of heather sticks out through the snow, but on the whole, it must be a bleak time of the year for the birds up in the high heather.

It’s something that many grouse shooters never really give a second thought to, particularly since most are currently sitting in snug offices in London, but the ability to survive in sustained periods of extreme cold is just one of many things that makes these birds so special. It’s a long way through until August, when the coveys will whirr over the purple heather, and for now, all they can do is tough it out.