THE BLACK GROUSE. By Patrick Laurie.

2012 1st edition. 4to (195 x 253mm). Pp224. Colour paintings and b/w sketches by the author. Blue boards, spine titled in gilt.

"This is the first book to be written on this fascinating, severely declining species, the Black Grouse. Patrick Laurie's lively natural history is interwoven with his account of his on-going battle to reintroduce them on his farm in the Scottish Borders. His beautiful illustrations convey his passion for these vulnerable birds, so full of character, from their aggressive lekking behaviour to their desperate struggle to survive against nearly-impossible odds in modern Britain. Black grouse range in Britain has shrunk by 95 percent in the past 100 years, with 25 percent of that decline since 1990. Mature black grouse consistently fly higher and faster than almost any other gamebird, making them fantastic, testing quarry for sportsmen. If we allow raptor predation to increase, we risk losing this iconic bird species in Britain altogether.During the frozen winter of 2009/10 almost half the population of black grouse ...monitored by the Game and Wildlife Conservancy Trust in the ...North Pennines were killed off by heavy snows and frost. The author explains why he believes it is still possible to stage a major black grouse renaissance in moorland shooting."