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Historically the black grouse received special protection in Arran. In 1703 in the book A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland by M. Martin, it is stated that: ‘The blackcock is not allowed to be killed here without a permit; the transgressors are liable to a fine.’
In the nineteenth century this was no longer the case with large numbers being shot. In 1956 J.A. Gibson in his publication The Birds of the Island of Arran wrote: ‘Until relatively recently it was a common breeding species and was well distributed throughout the island.’ Numbers continued to fall, and the last record was a single female in High Glen Cloy on February 18, 2000. This decline was happening in almost all of western and central European countries, with black grouse numbers starting to fall in the latter half of the 19th century, accelerating over 1970 – 1990. In the early 1990s it was estimated that about 25,000 males were present in the UK, but in 1995 and 1996 a ground survey by national ornithology groups established a revised estimate of 6,500 males.
The main reasons thought to have contributed to the decline of black grouse include: loss of habitat through intensive sheep grazing, agricultural improvements, changes in agricultural practices; overshooting; and increased numbers of predators such as foxes, especially where black grouse numbers are already low.
Several black grouse recovery projects have been initiated in the UK. The Arran Black Grouse Group is one of them. The group feels that the island has the right habitat and there are no foxes. The group is very much a local group with a wide range of representation including conservationists, estate managers, farmers, foresters, and gamekeepers.
Please send any bird notes with “what, when, where” to me at Kilpatrick Kennels, Blackwaterfoot, e-mail james.cassels@virgin.net or telephone 01770 860316. You can leave a message.
