Mild winters hitting grouse stock

The opening day of the grouse-shooting season is suffering from a fall in bird stocks blamed on mild winters.

The Game Conservancy Trust (GCT) said not much shooting would take place on the "Glorious Twelfth" in an attempt to boost the grouse population.

The situation is put down to parasitic worms that thrive in mild winters and affect the gut of red grouse.

Also, tick infestations in red grouse chicks have risen in the past two decades - from 4% to 92%.