Leading Scottish birding holiday company pledges to cease seeking out breeding sites of rare capercaillies

The plastic is unfortunate - but the coloration makes the fencing more conspicuous (photo: Cairngorms Capercaillie Project)

THERE has been a glimmer of hope in the campaign to save capercaillies from extinction in Britain.

The bird - also known as 'horse of the forest' - only breeds in Scotland where there were believed to be as many as  20,000 birds as recently as the 1970s.

But by 2021, the population had collapsed to no more than 542 birds.

However, a statistic from the RSPB's 2023 survey gives cause for encouragement: "There was an increase of 19 lekking males in 2023 compared to 2022, with a total of 168 lekking males counted. 

"This was due to an increase in the Strathspey and Easter Ross populations, while Deeside remained the same as 2022 and Perthshire and Moray / Nairnshire both declined by one bird respectively.

Human (and dog) disturbance,  predation and unfavourable weather at breeding times are thought to have been a significant factors in the decline, but many birds have fallen victim to flight collision with fences installed to protect woodland from grazing deer.

Between 2023 and 2023 much good work was done by the grant-aided Cairngorms Capercaillie Project by, for instance, marking the fences to make them more conspicuous to the birds and by educating right-to-roamers, trail bikers,  dog-walkers and birders about the importance of responsible behaviour.

In  April 2022, one birder  was arrested by police after approaching too close to a capercaillie lek and causing disturbance.

                                             

Were the Fab Four thinking of capercaillies when they recorded one of their best-known songs?

A feature of the Capercaillie Project was its catchily-named Lek-It- Be campaign  (inspired by the title and refrain of a chart-topping Beatles song) which has sought to safeguard the species from disturbance.

The campaign calls on those birders and photographers who "want to do the right thing, to play their part and not go looking for capercaillie - and to call out those who do."

Following the launch, project manager Carolyn Robertson said: "We have identified a number of wildlife guiding companies that currently list capercaillie as a target species for their tours in the Cairngorms.

"Taking guests to look for capercaillie can reveal sensitive sites to birdwatchers and photographers, which can then become known - and widely so -  if images taken by guests are shared on social media.”

As part of the campaign, Facebook groups have been asked to reject capercaillie photo submissions to avoid drawing attention to the bird and sensitive sites.

One of the leading Scottish bird tour sites is Heatherlea which has responded positively to the campaign.

It has announced that it now no longer seeks the species out at breeding times, though it notes that "incidental" sightings are possible on any of its Cairngorms holidays.

                                           

Helen Gray - note of appreciation to Heatherlea

Following its commitment to setting an example, the holiday company received a note of thanks from project advisory officer Helen Gray which states: "We appreciate that you have clearly set out this guidance on your website so thank you for your efforts in protecting this vulnerable species and following the guidance to minimise the risk of disturbing Capercaillie as far as possible."

The capercaillie safeguarding advice can be viewed at:

Capercaillie - Cairngorms Capercaillie Project