The number of shooting estates taking part in a ground-breaking project to raise efforts in protecting hen harriers in Scotland has reached its highest level.Sixteen estates covering 325,000 acres volunteered this year to place monitoring cameras on their land in order to protect hen harrier nests as part of the ‘Heads Up for Harriers’ project.

Scotland’s leading chefs, including Andrew Fairlie, Carina Contini, Martin Wishart and Mark Greenaway, have joined forces, along with the Gift of Grouse, at the start of the Scottish Game Fair to champion the use of grouse in kitchens.Customers are increasingly demanding locally sourced food and Scotland’s top chefs are calling for more local restaurants and

Gamekeepers across Scotland have been stepping up their efforts ahead of the grouse season to ensure the country’s heather-clad moorlands provide favourable habitat for ground-nesting wildlife and safeguards against wildfires.Wildfires can devastate acres of moorland in a matter of hours; moorland which provides much needed habitat to a host of ground nesting bird species such

Forecasters are predicting Arctic conditions over the next four weeks with temperatures falling to -10C ; this is a headache for anyone trying to get to work in Scotland’s cities. But how do people who work outdoors year-round cope with wintry conditions? Gamekeepers and those who work on Scotland’s rural estates have no choice but

The Scottish country sports tourism industry defied the odds this year with its enduring international appeal by boosting foreign visitors and overnight stays.Following the official end of the grouse shooting season on December 10, estates and sporting agents across the country are reporting a favourable season in terms of the tourism benefit to rural Scotland.

An increasing number of birds of prey are thriving on Scottish grouse moors due to gamekeepers’ conservation efforts.More than 10 different raptor species including golden eagles, red kites and hen harriers have been identified on prominent grouse moors this year. They are among the 86 bird species that have been recorded on estates in the

Restaurants throughout the country are being urged to follow suit as some of the top chefs in the UK have been serving up grouse as a firm favourite this season.The Gift of Grouse campaign has been working with chefs throughout the country, including Tom Kitchin, Dominic Jack and Nick Nairn to highlight the benefits of

Grampian gamekeepers are appealing to the public not to hamper legitimate moorland activities after a number of legal traps were damaged close to a popular walking area.Traps approved by Scottish Natural Heritage are deployed by trained gamekeepers to control abundant predators such as stoats and weasels which prey on ground-nesting birds. Approved traps are legal

A young female barn owl which was found starving to death has been released back into the wild on an Angus moor. Just over two months ago, gamekeepers at Millden were delighted to discover four rare barn owl chicks had nested on the floor of a steading on the estate. The owls, on the conservation

A group of Angus school children turned grouse beaters for a day yesterday (Tues) as they followed the fascinating journey of local game from the hilltop to the dinner plate. Health experts have identified a worrying disconnection in Britain between food consumed and where it comes from- not something that can be levelled at Cortachy