Black grouse successfully translocated in bid to expand their range
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Ten hens and ten cocks were caught at night during November and early December, and immediately transported to the release site two hours’ drive away. This site had been specially selected for the birds as it provides the required mix of habitats for them.
The team used thermal binoculars, lamps and hand-held nets to capture the birds and 15 of them were fitted with radio transmitters to allow us to follow their settlement patterns, survival and lekking behaviour. The translocation was carried out under a licence from Natural England.
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Hide AdDr Phil Warren, from GWCT and leading the project, says: “Initial visits to the North York Moors show that birds have settled in the vicinity of the release area.


“This is a really positive sign, and we will continue to monitor movements and survival over the winter months and through the breeding season to assess how they settle, survive and breed.
“The data will also help us decide if we will make any further releases, and if those will be done in the same area, or whether we try to find a second recipient site to help establish a network of inter-connected lekking groups.
Black grouse are a Red List species of high conservation concern. In England, they are now largely restricted to the North Pennines, which includes parts of County Durham, Northumberland, Cumbria and North Yorkshire. Here, numbers remain broadly stable, fluctuating between 1-2,000 displaying males over the last 25 years.
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