Thank you to the Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group for sharing the photos and accompanying words below. You can find their Facebook page here.
As the burning season draws to a close all moorland keepers will be now planning ahead for the busy spring period. Why is spring time such an important period in the keepers calendar?
As winter slips away and the days lengthen this is the time when predator control needs to be at its most focused. Returning waders like the endangered curlew and enigmatic golden plover will be seeking out territories.
Red grouse, though long paired, will be settling into their home zones and the lesser though important moorland birds like stonechats, wheatears, meadow pipits and ring ouzels will all be winging their way to the moors as we speak.
All the above nest on the ground and this makes them incredibly vulnerable to common generalist predators like the fox, stoat, weasel and rats. Avian predation from corvids and gulls will also be an issue as they are always drawn to the moors during the bird breeding season.
Protecting the ground nesting birds with centuries of predator control on our moors has brought us to an important juncture in terms of species conservation and sustainable populations.
Had it not taken place most if not all of our moorland birds would have vanished decades ago. This isn't scaremongering this is fact having been demonstrated during moorland experiments but moreover with sites where gamekeeping ceased.
Dartmoor has barely a curlew left on it, there were no breeding lapwings there in 2023 and this is just one example. Parts of the Lake District once favoured by many ground nesters is virtually bereft of bird life apart from migrant corvids and inland gulls.
This sad state of affairs is becoming a concern for ornithologists but unlike the gamekeeping profession and wiser conservationists it seems that predator controls are way down the list of priorities for recovery.
Whilst killing predators may be unpalatable to some it is this management practice that is keeping the curlews, black grouse and other moorland birds alive. If you see traps in the Yorkshire Dales please do not disturb them. They are all legal and DEFRA approved. They meet all the latest national and international criteria for humane use and are very important conservation tools.
It is reassuring to see the RSPB using the same traps in many cases and other conservation minded groups gradually taking heed of their value. It is worth reminding anyone who may not like the idea of controlling predators that the plan is not about eradication. Our keepers remove roughly the same numbers of predators each year.
This has no impact on the predator numbers but does assist ground nesters at a key time of year. They are there for good reason and that is why our moors are resplendent with curlews, lapwings and merlins as well as black and red grouse, plovers, and all the passerines we enjoy. Remember: Stay clear, please don't interfere.