WITH one in four birds now on the “red list”, concern has been growing for the survival of many species of our feathered friends once taken for granted, from the curlew to the dotterel.

But a survey at a Scottish estate has revealed some of he country’s most endangered birds are evidently thriving on grouse moor.

The survey of endangered nesting birds on Invercauld Estate in Royal Deeside, in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, has shown an increase in both the number of nesting birds and in the different species recorded.

The findings come after gamekeepers continued their conservation efforts during the lockdown and undertook a survey over three months in the late spring and early summer of “red” and “amber” listed species. 

These are species listed on the list of Birds Of Conservation Concern produced by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the British Trust for Ornithology and others 
that are considered to be the most endangered in the UK.

In total, 1,117 breeding pairs of these endangered birds were identified through the survey – an increase of 16 per cent on the results from 2019.

The figures included 33 pairs of raptors, covering six different species, but excluded red grouse, themselves an amber listed species due to loss of habitat.

Thirty-seven different endangered bird species were recorded nesting on the estate, including dotterel, curlew, ring ouzel and merlin.

Estate manager Angus McNicol said: “It’s vital in conservation to know what you are looking after. 

“While the nature of this survey means it almost certainly under-recorded numbers, assessing the pairs of red and amber bird species we have nesting at Invercauld helps identify the extent to which pro-active moorland management helps conserve these. 

“It also identifies where different species do best and in what numbers to inform ongoing management.

“Moorland is generally not studied as extensively as some other habitats so this survey is critical to our understanding of how active management helps the most threatened birds in Scotland.”

Lapwings, a red listed wader species, were particularly successful on the estate this year, with 175 nesting pairs recorded, along with an increase in nests of woodcock, another of the most endangered species.

Richard Thomas, one of the gamekeepers who took part in the survey, said “There was an increase in short-eared owls breeding this year, which we think is down to vole populations doing well in the spring. 

“We also identified a number of pairs of dunlin that were not recorded in last year’s survey.”

The updated Red List For Birds in December 2015 – the fourth review of the status of birds in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man – showed many bird species were increasingly at risk, with 19 species red-listed for the first time due to worsening populations and one species – the merlin – returned to the red list.

Invercauld said the management of its moorland is helped by significant inward investment from sporting parties from the UK and further afield, which pays for the gamekeepers on
the estate.

“The iconic purple heather moorland that is a feature of the Grampians 
is at risk at the moment from a number of directions,” said George Duff, another of the gamekeepers who took part.

“This survey shows just how important this landscape and management for red grouse is for endangered birds. 

“When habitats are put at risk the endangered species such as these that thrive on them are also threatened. 

“As this study shows, managed moorland is vital to the conservation of so many different threatened bird species.”

The Estate is hoping more surveys can be undertaken to identify rare plants, mosses, invertebrates and other species to increase the understanding of how moorland management helps and enhances biodiversity in the Scottish uplands.

The RSPB says the UK Red List is due to be updated in late 2021, adding that “conservation takes time, and while we won’t be able to change the status of all 67 species by then, we hope to have made good progress in getting some of our best-loved birds on track”.