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Back to the Reds
One great addition which has come to the Chayne over the past few weeks has been the building sound of red grouse cackling at first light and at the last squeak of blue before darkness. They reached a peak of calling a few days ago and have since taken a bit of a step back… Continue reading
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Larsen Mates
Now that normal service can be resumed (and about bloody time), it’s worth catching up on a couple of things. Firstly, larsen mate traps. I got a larsen mate last year when gamekeeping supply companies were churning them out as if there was no tomorrow, cashing in on an easy buck before the inevitable ban… Continue reading
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Ongoing Troubles
Coming to terms with a total lack of internet has not been helped by the fact that BT couldn’t give a damn about fixing it. I’m coming into two weeks without any internet connection whatsoever, and it’s hard to remember just why I pay my bill. In the meantime, I’ve had to come in to… Continue reading
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Technical Hitch
After a huge thunder and lightning/hail storm last week, I’ve had no internet connection in the house – which explains the lack of new information on Working for Grouse. It’s frustrating because this is usually the busiest time of year for the obsessive black grouse enthusiast, and I now have a backlog of nine unpublished… Continue reading
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Long Ears
Just worth noting that while walking round my traps on Easter day, I put up a long eared owl from the woodcock strip. It flew past me at very close quarters and I was left with the impression of a small, honey coloured bird with red eyes and black eyebrows. I had never seen a… Continue reading
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Moonwalking
By definition, the author of a blog about black grouse and moorland management doesn’t get out much. When I went to Murrayfield on Saturday to watch Edinburgh play Toulouse in the Heineken Cup, I was overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of people I came across. You can easily get out of the habit of being… Continue reading
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First Larsen
After a frustrating false start last week, the first larsen trap is now running on the Chayne. I’ve set the trap in the thick of the snipe bog, where more than a dozen pairs of drumming squeakers are starting to build their territories in anticipation of the breeding season. I was very pleased with how… Continue reading
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Mustelidae
If you ever want to find out if someone you know is funny, ask them if they know the difference between a stoat and a weasel. If they say anything like “a weasel is weasily distinguishable” or “a stoat is stoatally different”, then they are not funny. This is the oldest joke in Christendom, and… Continue reading
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A Gloomy Start
Now that the wheatears are here, the time has come to make a start on my lek search for 2012. Essentially, I need to know where the blackcock are lekking within a three or four mile radius of the Chayne, and given that the area has been abandoned by the RSPB surveyors who no longer… Continue reading
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The Wheatears are Back
Just to note that I saw a wheatear for the first time this year on the Chayne this morning. That’s not to say that it’s the first wheatear – I have a feeling that they’ve been around for the last 48 hours, but I just hadn’t managed to spot one. A few were seen during… Continue reading
About
“Shout on, Morgan. You’ll be nothing tomorrow”
Swn y galon fach yn torri, 1952
Also at: https://andtheyellowale.substack.com
Bog Myrtle & Peat 