Country Diary

It’s hard to tell how the summer is going for grouse on the hill. After a fiercely cold spring, dry weather blasted the vegetation into a horrible state. Female grouse were struggling to reach breeding condition by the end of April and many birds held off laying until well into May. This meant that the hatch was staggered and some grouse were still sitting on eggs long after midsummer. Well-grown birds are often easier to spot than