Tag: grouse management
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Distress in Scugdale — the consequences of ladder traps
As I was wandering around the head of Scugdale, something caught my attention: a ladder trap filled with birds. Two crows were stuck inside, looking distressed, and my heart sank. Although they had water, shelter, and plenty of food (dead rabbits), they were trapped and unable to escape. Upon closer inspection, I realised that the…
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Several people have mentioned that the ling is late this year
O the summer time has come And the trees are sweetly bloomin’ The wild mountain thyme Grows around the bloomin’ heather Will ye go, lassie, go? Several people have mentioned that the ling is late this year. Fear not, the purple haze is coming, and getting more pronounced by the day. It may be my…
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From Crows to Cobras
I thought I would pop along to see if this ladder trap I last visited a couple of years ago had been in use. It doesn’t look like it. The dead crow that was there previously has long since long and the access gate was left open. Although these traps are not selective, birds of…
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Moor burning on Commondale Moor
With the advent of the autumnal fine weather, the heather burning season has quickly got underway. At least half a dozen fires could be seen from Ainthorpe Rigg today with smoke was creeping down on to Guisborough and the Esk valley. A sharp contrast to just six weeks ago when the North York Moors National…
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Bronze Age Round Cairn on a scorched moor
Sunday before last (18th) was a glorious November day. Blue skies, little wind with many walkers taking to the moors. I recall standing on Cliff Rigg and noticing the number of folk on Roseberry. But the scene was marred by dense black smoke coming from the direction of Newton and Great Ayton Moors. The periodic…
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Moor burning, Stanghow Moor
The Farming Today program on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday covered moorland management (it’s available here as a podcast for 28 days). On it was a representative from the Moorland Association who said that rotational burning of grouse moorland had been “voluntarily suspended”. If you are not aware, rotational burning is the practice when our…
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Upper Ryedale
Compared to other moorland dales, such as Bilsdale, Farndale and Bransdale, the valley of the upper River Rye is relatively infertile. The river has not eroded through the sandstones to reveal the underlying shales and the broad fertile valley bottoms of these other dales are missing. Instead, there are rarely more than two fields either…
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Let’s Learn Moor with the BASC
When the Police seize property as a result of criminal investigations or a court orders the confiscation of property, it is auctioned off (assuming, of course, it cannot be returned to its rightful owner) and the money placed in the Police Property Fund. Grants are then awarded from the fund to local community and voluntary…
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First day of the grouse shooting season
The first day of the grouse shooting season so I took in a circuit via Urra and Greenhow Moors in the hope I might come across a shoot. It is not the “Glorious 12th”, of course, that was yesterday but being a Sunday the start is postponed for a day unless you are in Scotland…