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Nature & Wildlife
Latest news, advice and opinion concerning nature and wildlife on UK moorland.


Gamekeepers Name Beaky Junior, the Golden Eagle Raised on Their Grouse Moor
Gamekeepers name Beaky Junior, the first golden eagle chick raised on a managed grouse moor in southern Scotland, as eagle numbers hit a 300-year high.

Rob Beeson
7 days ago3 min read


Rewilding Report Finds Land Use, Wildfire Risk and Local Trust Can Shape Conflict
A European rewilding report finds land use, wildfire risk, livelihoods and local trust can be as important as wildlife in shaping conflict.

Rob Beeson
Oct 284 min read


Defra Cites Reduced Predator Control as Moorland Bird Numbers Fall
Defra figures show UK upland birds fell 19% since 1994. Site studies suggest legal predator control helps curlew, golden plover and other moorland birds recover.

Rob Beeson
Oct 143 min read


Geltsdale’s Upland Birds: The Evidence Defra Needs
Natural England's 2005-07 survey shows Geltsdale's upland waders below the North Pennines average. What later evidence exists, and how can members help Defra?

Andrew Gilruth
Oct 84 min read


Geoff Eyre's Lessons from Over 30 Years Restoring Peak District Moorland
Derbyshire farmer Geoff Eyre shares over 30 years of Peak District moorland restoration: cool burning, heather from seed, bracken control and wildfire prevention.

Rob Beeson
Oct 14 min read


Gamekeepers Count 70% Rise in Merlin Chicks on North York Moors
Gamekeepers on the North York Moors counted 46 merlin fledglings this summer, up 70% on 2025, in the eighth year of their own annual merlin count.

Rob Beeson
Sep 283 min read


MA Asks RSPB to Explain What Its Reserve Bird Data Show
The Moorland Association asks the RSPB to clarify what its reserve bird data reveal and how upland management outcomes should be assessed with transparent evidence.

Andrew Gilruth
Sep 214 min read


The Curlew Evidence Defra Asked For
UK curlew have fallen 49% since 1995. Four studies find keepered grouse moor fledges nearly four times as many chicks. Evidence for Defra's gamebird call.

Rob Beeson
Sep 214 min read


Saving Nests Is the Easy Part of Curlew Recovery
BTO modelling puts Curlew stability at 1.06 chicks hatched per pair, not the 0.6 fledged figure often quoted. Why the two differ, and what it means for the uplands.

Rob Beeson
Sep 75 min read


Five Thousand Years on the Hill: Why Moorland Archaeology Survives
Moorland holds some of Britain's best-preserved archaeology, from Bronze Age boundaries to prehistoric rock art.

Rob Beeson
Aug 284 min read


Golden Plover: The Moorland Wader That Does Best Where Predators Are Managed
An eight-year experiment showed predator control roughly tripled golden plover breeding success. Here is what the science says about waders on grouse moors.

Rob Beeson
Aug 273 min read


Black Grouse: England's Last Stronghold Sits on the Edge of Keepered Moors
Almost 90% of England's black grouse are found on grouse moor fringes. Here is what the research says about their recovery in the North Pennines.

Rob Beeson
Aug 103 min read
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