By Felix Meister, D.Phil., Advisor Scotland In an effort to monitor and combat Avian Influenza, UK Government requires all kept birds to be registered. Separate registers exist for the devolved nations, the relevant one for Scotland being the Scottish Kept Bird… Read More »Corvid Trapping in Scotland: New requirement to register decoy birds
By Felix Meister, D.Phil., Advisor Scotland On Wednesday 9 October, Scottish Government signed off the training materials for the new Corvid Trapping and Spring Trapping courses. Attendance at these courses is a necessary condition for obtaining a Wildlife Trap Licence,… Read More »Important Update: Trapping training in Scotland
By Felix Meister, D.Phil, Advisor Scotland On Tuesday 24th September, Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity Jim Fairlie informed Scottish Parliament that the ban on snares, which was introduced as part of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024, will… Read More »Important update: Snaring ban in Scotland
By Felix Meister, DPhil, MSt, BA, Advisor, GWCT Scotland In July, GWCT staff and their pointing dogs revisited study sites across Scotland to count red grouse. After the pair counts in the spring, which aim to determine the number of breeding… Read More »Red grouse brood count results: Weather and ticks take a toll
A significant change is on the horizon that will affect all gamekeepers and land managers involved in wildlife management. The Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 is a crucial step in ensuring the ethical and effective management of game… Read More »Get ahead of the game: mandatory Trapping training courses in Scotland
NatureScot announced that the grouse shoot licensing scheme will launch on 15 July 2024. Guidance on how to apply for a grouse shoot licence and other guidance is set out here. The process is simple and straightforward. The key bits of… Read More »Grouse shoot licensing scheme launching in Scotland on 15 July
By Dr Felix Meister, Advisor Scotland During the last week of May and the first week of June, GWCT staff were active across Scotland assessing tick burdens on red grouse chicks. This was the third year of surveys within a five-year… Read More »Ticks on chicks
GWCT research has repeatedly demonstrated the importance and benefits of targeted, legal and humane predator control for the conservation and management of game and wildlife. Controlling predation using spring traps, corvid cages and snares/humane cable restraints are vital to achieve… Read More »Are you trapping in confidence and knowledge?
By Fiona Torrance, Farmland Biodiversity Advisor, GWCT Scotland Last year I was given the unenviable challenge of developing farmer clusters in Scotland. Although farmer clusters have been going in England since 2012 and have been immensely successful (with over 100… Read More »Farmer clusters in Scotland: Time for take-off or indefinitely delayed?
Now that the shooting season is over, many gamekeepers in the uplands are able to dedicate more time again to the condition of their grouse populations. February and March is the ideal time for assessing the infestation with strongyle worms… Read More »Caecal egg counts