Ireland's red grouse is under threat and has been 'red-listed', its falling numbers attributed to loss of habitat, writes Anthony King
YOU MAY GLIMPSE a grouse burst from the heather into rapid, low flight if you're out hill walking this summer. Or you could hear their chuckling calls. But you'd be lucky: the red grouse is a wary bird that has declined here.
Concern over red grouse populations in Ireland has been growing in recent years. A national survey of this gamebird has now been completed and should provide a foundation for much-needed conservation action.
The European Commission ruled in 2002 that Ireland had failed to meet its legal obligations to protect the bird's habitat from damage caused by overstocking of sheep. In response, a national survey was commissioned by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to discover how many birds remain and to allow for conservation measures.
Once widely distributed on blanket bogs, raised bogs and heaths, the red grouse was "red listed" as a species of conservation concern after its range declined by almost 70 per cent in the State. These days they are more likely to be encountered in upland areas.
Grouse are secretive and can be difficult to detect, said Dr Sinead Cummins, of BirdWatch Ireland, who co-ordinated the survey. But they can be vocal - one call sounds like the words "go back" repeated in rapid succession. And it is their distinctive calls that allowed the birds to be counted.
BirdWatch Ireland staff, volunteers and national park rangers lured birds by playing taped calls of male grouse. Territorial males responded to the tapes by calling back or flying off, while females invariably flew off.
Grouse were also surveyed using trained dogs, mainly pointers and setters. The Irish Kennel Club and National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC) took part, with dogs quartering areas in front of their handlers.
Initial results suggest densities of grouse are higher in the east of the country, particularly in the Wicklow and Slieve Bloom mountains, where hills are drier and heather growth is better than in the west. Grouse still hold out along western blanket bogs, with strongholds in Co Donegal and parts of counties Galway and Mayo, but populations are in decline on raised bogs in the midlands.
Red grouse spend most of their time on the ground, relying on their rusty-brown plumage to conceal themselves in heather. Although males become increasingly territorial during winter and have even been known to attack people, most birds will launch into a rapid low flight if you get too close. "The most common way to encounter them is while out hill-walking, particularly if you are walking off well-trodden paths, across areas with moderate-to-good heather cover," said Dr Cummins.
A number of factors are implicated in grouse becoming scarce in Ireland, according to Dr Cummins. Tree-planting on upland bogs wiped out grouse habitat and created islands of suitable habitat surrounded by forests that restricted grouse movement and harboured predators. The bird's raised bog habitat was ruined by mechanised peat removal, and overgrazing by sheep on marginal lands took a heavy toll in the west.
The red grouse is important in terms of biodiversity, said Prof John O'Halloran, of University College, Cork, who chaired the survey's steering group. Irish red grouse are paler than those in Britain, which may be an adaptation to our blanket bogs,
having more pale grasses than the drier moors of Britain. Britain has about a quarter of a million red grouse, whereas Irish numbers were estimated at 1,000 to 5,000 breeding pairs.
Dan Crofton, of the National Association of Regional Game Councils, said Irish grouse would respond well to active management of heather. Restricted burning of small patches can create mosaics of different aged heather stands, which is important since the birds feed on young heather but rely on older heather for concealment and nesting. Grouse are actively managed on Scottish moors, where a day's shooting can cost hundreds of pounds sterling.
John Wilson, of the NPWS, said the final report will appear later this year and will give absolute numbers and distribution as well as habitat assessments. This information will be used to manage habitat and will likely feature in a species action plan. Dr Wilson stressed the large number of stakeholders involved in the project: farmers, hunters and birdwatchers were represented, along with organisations such as Coillte, Bord na Móna and Teagasc.
Surveys were performed in winter and spring this year and last, but readers can still help by reporting casual sightings this summer to BirdWatch Ireland.