Red Grouse In The West Midlands?! (1 Viewer)

[Perdix]

Hi All,

Whilst browsing the West Midland Bird Club Website and others, i came arcoss references to Red Grouse inhabiting Sutton Park, to the north of Birmingham, what i would have thought to be a very Grouse-unfriendly area, as recently as 1999...

http://www.westmidlandbirdclub.com/club/press/BPostRL-2005-09-21.htm
http://www.spnh.scnhs.org.uk/bi.html

Is this gross mis-identification? Or is this true? B

Thanks in advance,

 

[Lichfield Birder]

Hi All,

Whilst browsing the West Midland Bird Club Website and others, i came arcoss references to Red Grouse inhabiting Sutton Park, to the north of Birmingham, what i would have thought to be a very Grouse-unfriendly area, as recently as 1999...

http://www.westmidlandbirdclub.com/club/press/BPostRL-2005-09-21.htm
http://www.spnh.scnhs.org.uk/bi.html

Is this gross mis-identification? Or is this true? B

Thanks in advance,

Probably should 1899 looking at the Black Grouse date of 1897. Send them an email to clarify?

 

[Lichfield Birder]

Hi All,

Whilst browsing the West Midland Bird Club Website and others, i came arcoss references to Red Grouse inhabiting Sutton Park, to the north of Birmingham, what i would have thought to be a very Grouse-unfriendly area, as recently as 1999...

http://www.westmidlandbirdclub.com/club/press/BPostRL-2005-09-21.htm
http://www.spnh.scnhs.org.uk/bi.html

Is this gross mis-identification? Or is this true? B

Thanks in advance,

Probably should be 1899 looking at the Black Grouse date of 1897. Send them an email to clarify?

 

[nickderry]

Got to be 1899, certainly the nearest grouse when I lived in Wolverhampton were on the North Staffs Moors.

 

[KayD]

Didn't there used to be Red Grouse on Cannock Chase at one time?

There are Red Grouse on the North Staffs Moors, as Nick says. Black Grouse are extinct there.

 

[Matt Griffiths]

Probably should be 1899 looking at the Black Grouse date of 1897. Send them an email to clarify?

Hello,
Never been to Sutton Park myself, but don't think it's a mistake, as Red Grouse is highlighted indicating that the species was recorded there after 1995. However, I believe Sutton Park lies within the West Midlands county and yet there seems to be no accepted WMBC records since 1868 (http://www.westmidlandbirdclub.com/records/lists, scroll down). Misidentification? Released? There could be details of the Red Grouse in the WM Bird Report, but I can't check my copies as they're difficult to get to atm.
Regards,

Matt

 

[Perdix]

Thanks for responses.

At first I thought that 1899 was a more likely date, however as Avesmaster says the record is specifically highlighted..I think surely this is a mis identification of Partridge.

There are Red Grouse closer to the West Midlands than the North Staffs outpost: Small numbers breed on the Stiperstones and Long Mynd in Shropshire, the latter where I once put up a covey of about 20 back in the 90's.

In response to KayD, know Red Grouse were present on Cannock Chase until the 20th century at least, and interestingly, the record bag for Black Grouse shot in one day was set at Cannock Chase in the 1800s.

 

[steve_zodiac]

Red Grouse numbers are declining up on the north Staffs moors. I was at Swallow Moss earlier today and counted only four over a two hour period. There were plans to introduce them onto Cannock Chase but with the amount of disturbance up there it would never work.

 

[Lichfield Birder]

Looking in the WMBC Annual reports for 04 & 05 it only mentions them as "uncommon and declining resident of North Staffs Moors" and lists a number of locations up there. Accepted that this does not cover 1999!!!

 

[Himalaya]

I have seen a pair of grouse at Gradbach in 2005. Theywere my first ever and so close.

 

[Rob Williams]

'The new Birds of the West Midlands' states that, 'despite subsequent claims, the last sighting in Sutton Park was in 1868'.


Rob

 

[Perdix]

'The new Birds of the West Midlands' states that, 'despite subsequent claims, the last sighting in Sutton Park was in 1868'.


Rob

Cheers, as i suspected :t:

 

[andyr]

Hi Steve

We don't know each other but I'm a Lichfield-based newish (2/3yrs) birder and saw your Red Grouse/Swallow Moss reference. And as I've never seen one and plan to go up there tomorrow (Sunday) or Monday - I wondered exactly where on Swallow Moss you saw them - and where you parked.
I'm staring at a print-off of the OS map with S/Moss shown in a 'V' shaped angle in the roads with a footpath going across the top northern 'boundary of the 'V' !

If you get chance to reply, great. If not - don't worry.

Cheers

Andy Russell