PITY the poor grouse!
Exposed to unseasonable downpours, hailstones and sometimes plunging temperatures over the summer, quickly- growing chicks now face the start of the shooting season tomorrow.
Sportsmen expect a good shooting season up to December 10.
The Moorland Association says most grouse moors will sustain good shoots, but with overall bags 10% to 20% down on last year.
Many outdoor-lovers will be taking their 12-bores to the Dark Peak, sandwiched between Huddersfield, Manchester and Sheffield, where grouse numbers are generally down 10%.
Long-term declines in red grouse, apparently caused by the loss of moorland and extra hunting by foxes, have prompted the species to be moved from the Green to the Amber list of Birds of Conservation Concern.
Another bird in the hunters' sights, the grey partridge, is on the Red list.
