Dear all,
I listened to this program this morning and can recommend it.
“This morning's program comes from the grouse moors of Northern England, not to join a shoot, but to look at a project which has spent the last seven years trying to increase the numbers of one of England's rarest birds. The black grouse was once found in every county in England except two. Now the last remaining 800 cock birds are restricted to a small part of the North Pennines stretching from Teesdale to the Scottish Border.
The black grouse recovery project, which was set up by the Game Conservancy Trust, has been working for the past seven years to stabilise and grow the population. Having successfully increased numbers in Teesdale, they now want to target Wensleydale in North Yorkshire. The black grouse has declined in recent years because of intensive grazing by sheep, and because of poor weather during the breeding season.
Project officer Phil Warren uses radio tracking equipment to locate the birds, as well as persuading landowners to plant traditional broad leaved woodland to give them cover. Such has been the success of the project that the Raby estate in Upper Teesdale is considering shooting them once again. Keeper Lindsay Waddle says the taste of the bird is much more delicate than its red cousin, and unusually for a game bird it has light and dark meat like turkey.”
Go to-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/farmingtoday/index.shtml
Click Listen to the latest farming to day program in the listen again box.
Yours etc.
Gordon Boreham-Styffe.
I listened to this program this morning and can recommend it.
“This morning's program comes from the grouse moors of Northern England, not to join a shoot, but to look at a project which has spent the last seven years trying to increase the numbers of one of England's rarest birds. The black grouse was once found in every county in England except two. Now the last remaining 800 cock birds are restricted to a small part of the North Pennines stretching from Teesdale to the Scottish Border.
The black grouse recovery project, which was set up by the Game Conservancy Trust, has been working for the past seven years to stabilise and grow the population. Having successfully increased numbers in Teesdale, they now want to target Wensleydale in North Yorkshire. The black grouse has declined in recent years because of intensive grazing by sheep, and because of poor weather during the breeding season.
Project officer Phil Warren uses radio tracking equipment to locate the birds, as well as persuading landowners to plant traditional broad leaved woodland to give them cover. Such has been the success of the project that the Raby estate in Upper Teesdale is considering shooting them once again. Keeper Lindsay Waddle says the taste of the bird is much more delicate than its red cousin, and unusually for a game bird it has light and dark meat like turkey.”
Go to-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/farmingtoday/index.shtml
Click Listen to the latest farming to day program in the listen again box.
Yours etc.
Gordon Boreham-Styffe.
