Future's looking brighter for mountain hares
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WITH the snow-capped hills covering much of the Highlands landscape, one’s thoughts turn to the hardy few that inhabit such areas.
The red deer will have long since sought lower slopes, as will the red grouse and all the waders. A few hardy birds will venture forth from the lower slopes into this white world, namely the golden eagle and raven.
Just a few will stay behind and cope and they have to adapt to the conditions. These are mainly the ptarmigan and the mountain hare, both of which change into white winter coats for camouflage.
For us, looking from afar, these snow-capped hills may look idyllic, but to the birds and mammals it is a different world with fierce storms that transforms the scene.
This column has long been interested, and concerned, about the mountain hare, particularly in recent years as man’s attitude to these mammals has undergone a change – mainly for the worse.
In the last decade or so there has been a tendency to heavily cull the numbers of mountain hares mainly because they may, or may not, depending on your viewpoint, carry a disease that adversely affects red grouse shooting.
It is worth bearing in mind that red grouse shooting, whether formal or informal, is now worth even more than salmon fishing or red deer stalking.
Some estates have taken this even further and have heavily culled not only the mountain hares but also the red, roe and sika deer plus, on some estates, even the wild goats.
This is despite the fact that on neighbouring estates where no such measures have been undertaken the numbe rs of red grouse have not fallen.
For example, last year the "bags" of red grouse on the moors around Inverness have been the highest for many years.
This includes estates where no culling of other species took place and where the heavy culls were implemented.
So, as many books suggest, it is the weather that seems to be the main factor over the numbers of red grouse.
So it is very interesting to see that Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has now instigated a study of mountain hares along with such bodies as Scottish Land and Estates and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust.
One of the telling lines in the SNH press release is: "We are asking estates for restraint on large-scale culls which could jeopardise the conservation status of the mountain hares."
It adds: "Mountain hare populations are under threat from habitat loss, fragmentation and, in some areas, from large, local culls on grouse moors."
It also goes on to point out that "although not a fully protected species, the UK is obliged to ensure that the status of hare populations is not threatened in any way".
Behind this, SNH is also working with the James Hutton Institute and Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust to begin a three-year study to trial several methods of assessing mountain hare populations to determine the number of hares in a particular area. As far as I can see, the main criteria over this is to implement their findings – watch this space as they say.
