COUNTING GAME BIRDS

We use our dogs on the hill  to count red grouse (sometimes black grouse) and on the low ground to count grey partridge. Neither of these species are artificially reared and released on the ground we count. The major way to achieve a "shootable surplus" of wild birds is habitat management, creating the best possible conditions in terms of food and shelter and minimising predation. The one very important  factor no-one can control, is the weather.

Unlike most pheasant/partridge shooting where the requisite number of birds can be reared and released to enable a given number of shooting days ,  some shoots rely on wild birds and Mother Nature to create a harvest. This is primarily grouse shooting and to a lesser extent grey partridge shooting.

The counting of game birds using bird dogs (spring and summer), is one of a number of indicators used by land owners/managers to ascertain the density of breeding pairs (spring) and their breeding success/failure (summer). This helps indicate the health of the ground and the wildlife and the shooting potential for the coming season.

The Environment Manager who undertakes this exacting job is known as a "gamekeeper", or "keeper" for short. The shoot owner/leaseholder is the unsung hero who finances this horrendously expensive commitment.   Both share a passion for the land and ALL the wildlife on it .

There are many different methods of counting and all are relevant . If any piece of ground is studied and the wildlife recorded , it has a relevance . If the same area of ground is studied , by the same method , at the same time of year , for a number of years , it has more relevance .

 Our grouse counting methods are  based on one of the systems developed by The Game Conservancy , adapted by the gamekeepers at the Abbeystead Estate . The grouse moor is sub-divided into areas known as "Beats" . Each beat has its own gamekeeper , sometimes called a "beat keeper" . On each beat two count areas are chosen , each is 1km. sq. , (approx. 250 acres) .  One "A" site (a grouse favourite !)  and one "B" site (any other) , the average on the two sites being the relevant figure for the beat .

We hunt these sites using pointers and setters . The numbers , sex and age of birds found is recorded . In spring , breeding pairs are counted . In summer, adults and young  are counted . These figures indicate breeding pairs density and breeding success/failure , which helps the gamekeepers plan the scale of shooting (if any) that season . It is NOT an exact science ! It is one of a number of indicators of stock levels and health and can only be used in conjunction with the gamekeepers intimate knowledge of his beat and the moor as a whole .

E.g.  on paper , when counted , beat "A" had NO birds , beat "B" had DOUBLE the expected number . If you ask the gamekeeper he may explain there was a prolonged drought prior to counting , beat "A" dried up , beat "B" always has water ! Just one of many possibilities . We count two sites a day , one in the morning , one in the afternoon . Each site takes 2-4 hours to count . The dogs are run in rotation , with 2-4 dogs used per site . If the weather is very hot for the summer counts , we will start very early and try to be finished before midday .

Our partridge counting methods are slightly different , as they are part of a ten year grey partridge recovery project where we live , set up in conjunction with The Game Conservancy . The project is run as part of a national survey. Our part of the project covers approx. 1400hectares (3500acres) of Lancashire "mossland" , mostly growing  corn and vegetables . The field size averages to about 25 acres or 10ha., the area criss-crossed by drainage ditches.  Roughly in the centre of this area is a study site of slightly more than 1km. sq. In the spring the pairs count is on the whole of the project area , in the summer/early autumn the brood count is only done on the central study site (a lot of the crops will not have been harvested ) . Each field is counted in "strips" , it is very important to work right to the edge of the field and finish each field before moving to the next one . The fields can be stubble , reseeded bare ground , potatoes , brussel sprouts , carrots , sugar beet , grass/grass margins or set aside ! As we live on site , we take one dog at a time , work one or two fields then change dogs .These counts  are 2-3 weeks later than the grouse counts . Nationwide , Meryl is probably the only person in the scheme using bird dogs to count . Elsewhere, the recommended method of binoculars out of the Land Rover window is used . Our cropping systems would not allow this method as there is too much cover where partridge can hide . As well as recording numbers of partridge , the location of each find in each field is plotted on an Ordnance Survey map . These results are passed to the Game Conservancy and collated on a national basis .

The starting point for the project entailed Meryl and the local shoot captain persuading most of the farmers who worked the area to sign up to a scheme creating ; 173km of grass margins , 142ha of over wintered stubble , 35ha of grassland , 8ha of seed , pollen and nectar mix . The project carried a ten year cost of just over £1m . Next was to persuade the local shooting syndicate not to shoot grey partridge until further notice ! Despite being told she would never get the project off the ground , by a number of "experts" , Meryl persevered and the project (now coming to a close) has been a success ,with a small day on the partridge for the shoot and a resident population of approx. 200 breeding pairs of grey partridge , plus a huge increase in other species ; skylarks , yellowhammers , butterflies , mice , voles,  barn owls (eating the mice and voles) ,  sparrow hawks (eating the partridge and small birds!), foxes (eating everything!).

In both instances the counting can be hard work at times , but hugely rewarding on many levels . Working a home bred , self trained dog at pace for a find and production , maybe a shot , SUPERB !!