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2012 Onwards Scottish Lowlands and Southern Uplands Black Grouse (excluding Scottish Borders)

Dataset homepage

Citation

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (2025). 2012 Onwards Scottish Lowlands and Southern Uplands Black Grouse (excluding Scottish Borders). Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/tlknh5 accessed via GBIF.org on 2025-05-20.

Description

This dataset is intended to provide an indication of the numbers and distribution of black grouse in the RSPB region of the Scottish Lowland and Southern Uplands, which consists of the counties of Dumfries and Galloway, South and East Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and the Scottish Borders. Data from the Scottish Borders is not included as this collected and owned by the Southern Uplands Partnership. Records are included from 2012 onwards. Black grouse is a species of conservation concern and as such has been a priority species for monitoring. Surveys are carried out and co-ordinated by RSPB Scotland and Forestry and Land Scotland through a network of staff and volunteers.

Purpose

To establish long term trends of the numbers and distribution of Black Grouse in the Scottish Lowland and Southern Uplands regions and to measure the response of black grouse to habitat change.

Sampling Description

Method steps

  1. One or two lek counts are carried out between the end of March and mid May at each site. These are co-ordinated counts that follow the survey methodology in Gilbert et al. Each count is carried out from one hour before dawn to one hour after. The counts are carried out using binoculars or a telescope from distances that avoid disturbance to the lek. The exact day depends on good weather; wet and windy mornings are avoided. Recording the number of cocks attending each lek gives an estimate of population size. Casual sightings from throughout the year and lek searches (grid squares searched for leks) are included as well. The entries in this dataset are observations which have been made by a diverse group including RSPB staff, volunteers and professionals from partner organisations (Forestry and Land Scotland, National Trust Scotland, Southern Upland Partnership, Borders Forest Trust and NatureScot). As such, the observers do not form an official study group.

Taxonomic Coverages

Geographic Coverages

Bibliographic Citations

Contacts

originator
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
metadata author
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
distributor
NBN Atlas
27 Old Gloucester St, Holborn
London
WC1N 3AX
London
GB
email: admin@nbnatlas.org
Conservation Data Management Unit
administrative point of contact
email: dataunit@rspb.org.uk
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