Red Grouse - historical

Ice Age

Bones of Red/Willow Grouse, dating to just before and just after the maximum of the Last Glaciation, 22,000 years ago, have been discovered at two caves in Pembrokeshire: Hoyle's Mouth and Little Hoyle.

Eastham A. (2016) Goosey goosey Gander with Jemima Shelduck in attendance: two Stone Age occupation caves in South Pembrokeshire. Pembrokeshire Historical Society.

The following records and comments collected by GHR and transcribed from his files:

1955 J.G.Stewart—Peter reports up to 3 about Preseli top occasionally since Dec, 1952, but does not think they breed there.  Nature in Wales, Vol 1, No1

1975 1, Ramsey, 15th Oct.  Nature in Wales, Vol 15, No 3

1976 "Vagrant, The Red Grouse formerly occurred on the Preseli Hills, but the heather moor which these birds require is now too highly grazed and fragmented by forestry plantations for more than casual wanderers to survive."  Saunders, 1976,

British Red Grouse - 1949

Lagopus scoticus scoticus

Listed by Geo Owen as breeding in 1603.  Mathew doubted if any were still left on Prescelly, where a few used to breed.  The last he knew of were shot in 1885.  No known records since then.

R.M.Lockley, G.C.S.Ingram, H.M.Salmon, 1949, The Birds of Pembrokeshire, The West Wales Field Society 

Red Grouse - 1994

Former resident

Listed by George Owen (1603) as breeding but Mathew (1894) doubted if any were left on the Preseli Mountains where a few used to breed, the last he knew of being shot in 1885. Lockley et al. (1949) knew of no further occurrences.

No more were recorded until up to three were reported from the Preseli Mountains in December 1952, one from there on 2 January 1953 and the remarkable record of one at Ramsey on 15 October 1975. None have been reported since.

Donovan J.W. & Rees G.H (1994), Birds of Pembrokeshire

Red Grouse - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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