As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Wednesday 28 November 2012

Capercaillie thriving on two Scottish estates – Why just there?


Scientists are trying to understand why capercaillie are thriving on a few estates, but not across most of their distribution.

Local capercaillie success encourages ‘Friends' to find out more
November 2012. A group of capercaillie experts and enthusiasts have been visiting two Highland estates to find out why numbers of the rare species are increasing in the face of serious declines in other parts of Scotland.

The Friends of Capercaillie were invited to visit the Forestry Commission Scotland owned Inshriach Forest and the privately owned Glenfeshie Estate. Across Scotland - the only place in Britain where capercaillies are found - there are thought to be fewer than 1,300 of these magnificent turkey sized birds remaining. Nationally they appear to be declining still further in their former strongholds like Deeside, but the Speyside population is holding up well and even increasing on some sites, in spite of ‘challenging' summer weather which affects productivity.

Lekkers
From only 9 lekking cocks counted in 2006, lek counts this year reported 33 cocks across Inshriach and at Glenmore, the Commission's other forest in the area.

Graeme Prest, who manages Forestry Commission Scotland's Inverness, Ross & Skye District, said: "Numbers in Inshriach have increased - and the increase is impressive considering the big declines over much of the rest of the range. Something appears to being working well here for Capercaillie - and we were keen to show the ‘Friends' what we have been doing and the impact it appears to be having. Much of that success seems to come down to the fact that we are learning how to manage our multi-purpose forests Scots pine forests in ways that allow us to strike a balance between the needs of capercaillie and the demands of timber production and recreation.

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