UPLANDS - EXPANDING BLACK GROUSE RANGE | Figure 1
Movements by translocated males from the three release points in the Yorkshire Dales, to the leks where they displayed the following spring. Establishment of new leks by translocated males resulted in occupied range increasing by seven 10x10-km grid squares between 2006 and 2015
Mossdale
New leks Release sites
Existing leks
Yorkshire Dales
National Park
Coverdale ! ! Nidderdale Nidderdale AONB
10x10-km grid squares occupied by black grouse in 2006 prior to translocation
New 10x10-km grid squares occupied by translocation
Moorland
T OF BOWLAND AONB 0 10km N
BACKGROUND In the first spring following translocation, 98% of males (n=47) were observed
displaying. Males displayed at leks an average 3.6km (range 0.6 to 27.1km) from their release point. Leks were established at all areas. Females were seen in attendance with males and successful breeding was recorded. The total numbers of displaying males at release areas increased from one male in 2006 to 44 occupying 14 leks in 2015. This contributed to the re-colonisation of seven 10x10-km grid squares (see Figure 1), contributing two-thirds of the measured range increase from 37 to 48 occupied squares between national surveys in 1998 and 2014. Survival in the first year (n=62) following translocation was 0.77 (0.63-0.86, 95% CL) and was similar to that of birds measured in previous studies in the core northern England range. The findings of the study suggest that under appropriate circumstances translocation can be a helpful conservation tool in stimulating range expansion.
Moorland 010KM
Black grouse have declined in numbers and range over the past 100 years and in England they are now restricted to the edges of moorland in the north Pennines hills. Black grouse are red-listed and were a ‘priority species’ of the UK Government’s Biodiversity Action Plan which aimed to initially stem the decline and then increase both numbers and range.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank the landowners and gamekeepers at both the donor and recipient sites for their generosity donating males and allowing access to the study areas. We would also like to thank the project funders Sita Trust, Biffaward, Yorkshire Water, Nidderdale AONB Partnership, Friends of the Nidderdale AONB, the Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust and private landowners.
Successful breeding was recorded at the translocation sites. © Dave Kjaer
www.gwct.org.uk GAME & WILDLIFE REVIEW 2016 | 51
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