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Decline and Fall
It has been depressing to read through the black grouse lek survey results from 2017 in Dumfries and Galloway. Figures show that the birds have declined considerably over the past eighteen months, and the number of blackcock has dropped by almost a quarter since 2016. There are now reckoned to be fewer than 100 birds… Continue reading
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And More Mink
There has been yet more success on the mink front, with another youngster caught this morning on the bridge by the house. It has been surprising to find mink living in such high densities on the river, and it would be interesting to find out what kind of numbers are “normal”. Asking around neighbours, I… Continue reading
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Fingerbar
It was worth an extensive trek into Cumbria to recover our latest eBay purchase. It looks like a short step across the Solway to the Lakes on a clear day, but it took almost three hours to reach our final destination above the monstrous hulk of Sellafield nuclear power station. We had travelled this long… Continue reading
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Oxford Sandy and Black
While perhaps not closely bound to the driving themes of this blog, my endeavours with pigs are worth recording now and again, if only for my own interest’s sake. We enjoyed keeping a pair of saddleback weaners over the summer, and their journey into our freezer left a big hole in the farm. I grew… Continue reading
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Connectivity
This blog is a labour of love. I love my subject and I love writing about it. I am often surprised and delighted to find that hundreds of people visit Working for Grouse every day, but I try and treat this as a bonus. I would still be writing this blog even if it had… Continue reading
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North Sea Crossing
Despite my enthusiasm around the recent fall of snipe, woodcock have remained stubbornly thin on the ground. The November full moon usually brings a torrent of birds to Galloway, but aside from a few outriders (and the birds which breed in the woods behind the house), there was very little to see this year. An… Continue reading
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Partridge Saga
The escaped partridges continue to prosper on the rough ground behind the house. Their shrill calls have become a feature of dawn and dusk, and it is fast becoming hard to imagine life without them here. I went out into the yard before dawn this morning and could dimly make them out against the dark… Continue reading
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Owl Boxes
It’s worth recording the installation of a new owl box in the hayshed at the back of the yard. I built the box in September, but it has taken a few weeks to assemble the parts and the expertise to install it at the top of a twelve foot wall of cinderblocks. With a good… Continue reading
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More Mink
The mink traps have been ticking over on the riverside, and I was satisfied to catch up with another last week. This latest mink was a juvenile female, implying that there is a resident population in the vicinity. As I’ve started to explore the surrounding area over the past few weeks of autumn, I’ve found all… Continue reading
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Freshly Mowed
The frost fell with a vengeance last night, and morning came as a throbbing pain. I headed for the hill to gather in more firewood at first light, but I could hardly resist a quick walk onto the moss to explore the work carried out a fortnight ago by the rush cutter. A contractor comes… 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 