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Red Grouse (1 Viewer)

I'm not familiar with the Northumberland National Park but the North Pennines are perhaps close enough for a visit: Try the highest part of the road from Langdon Beck, North to St John's Chapel. The heather moor there does hold Red Grouse. At the Langdon Beck end look for Black Grouse, in the fields and in the rushes of the first little valley you reach after turning onto the St John's Chapel road Northward.

If you are going to look for Red Grouse you might want to make sure you do it before the 12th of August.

John
 
By the way, do (the current populations of) Red Grouse count as native (as opposed to the status of Red-legged Partridge and various Pheasants) anywhere in England?
 
By the way, do (the current populations of) Red Grouse count as native (as opposed to the status of Red-legged Partridge and various Pheasants) anywhere in England?


All British Red Grouse are native, a few may have been moved to different locations to try and boost or establish a population in the past (Dartmoor and Exmoor?). But they are all native birds. They have never been successfully artificially reared and released for shooting purposes unlike pheasants an partridges.
 
Any road over heather moorland will get you plenty of them. Yes they are native, but they are 'farmed' by habitat manipulation to exist at far higher density than they would naturally occur at (with huge costs to the environment, sadly; notably a near-complete dearth of raptors :storm:), so they're virtually impossible to miss. Where in Northumbs will you be based?
 
Hello, we are on the northern edge of the National Park at Kirknewton. Looking over the maps I cannot see any roads that will run over suitable moorland. Do you know of any roads where Grouse can be seen. I was thinking about Harbottle Crags but any infomation on easy access sites appreciated. I dont mind a walk. Many thanks
 
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You're only a mile away from the nearest grouse moor there, tho' it's a bit further to walk to get there. On the map below, anywhere within the red circle is good for grouse; the two simplest options, in green:
1 Walk in from Kirknewton along the farm track, and past the farm up into the hills.
2 Drive round via Wooler to Wooler Common, park at the road end (P), and walk on along the farm track to the grouse moor.


Hope this helps!
 

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Just to add, grouse moors are very easy to recognise on google earth: brownish green (heather) with numerous small pale rectangles spaced out (rotational burns). Once you know what they look like, you'll see them all over upland areas.
 
We found the Red Grouse very easily in the Harthope valley, which added to Roseate Tern, Merlin, seabirds and passage waders added up to a great week in Northumberland. Thanks for all help.
 
Congrats!


We found the Red Grouse very easily in the Harthope valley, which added to Roseate Tern, Merlin, seabirds and passage waders added up to a great week in Northumberland. Thanks for all help.
I hope that lot weren't all up the Harthope! 3:) Glad you had a good trip :t:
 
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