07/07/2026
Seafield & Strathspey Estates welcomes rise in capercaillie numbers, but warns gains remain fragile.
We are delighted to see an increase in male capercaillie following this year’s lek counts. It's good news, but we welcome it with caution. Capercaillie numbers remain perilously low and our hens – who are more at risk of predation – still must survive nesting time and rear broods successfully.
Our gamekeepers recorded 43 c**k capercaillie this spring at leks across Kinveachy and Castle Grant, compared with 25 last year. This amounts to some 46% of the total increase in the 2026 counts. It’s encouraging, particularly because the estate supports around a quarter of Scotland’s remaining capercaillie population.
Kinveachy Forest is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its ancient woodland and is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for capercaillie, crossbills and crested t**s. Our long-term stewardship, active habitat management and legal predator management have all contributed to a rise in male bird numbers. But the question is, how long can these gains be maintained?
Predator management is carried out to support both farm tenants, particularly during lambing, and vulnerable ground-nesting birds including capercaillie. Foxes and crows are managed legally by our gamekeepers, while deer control is used to support woodland regeneration and habitat enhancement.
We take several hundred deer annually, including through guest stalking, providing income for the estate, producing quality food and supporting the wider local economy. The primary purpose of deer control, however, is to enable woodland expansion to create a good environment for the birds. But there is little point in having an ideal habitat if capercaillie are being eaten.
Protected predator populations are increasing and their impact on capercaillie and all ground-nesting birds must be recognised. Pine martens share capercaillie habitat, predating on their eggs and chicks, while badgers have expanded significantly across farmland, woodlands and moorland – they are prolific, with birds’ nests destroyed during the breeding season.
RSPB figures show a 62% decline in curlew, 63% in lapwing and 41% in oystercatcher.
Badgers and pine martens are part of our natural heritage, but we need an honest conversation about the impacts they are having on our ground-nesting birds, and other wildlife. Even NatureScot, in their 2020 publication “Badger impacts on biodiversity and agriculture in Scotland - a literature review” concluded that “there has been relatively little research in Scotland to identify how badger predation and feeding activity are impacting wildlife and agriculture in Scotland or how their impacts relate to changes in badger abundance/distribution.”
If we want these species to thrive, and to meet Scottish Government biodiversity targets then we must be willing to have difficult conversations about the future management of all species in a habitat, including protected predators.
With regards to diversionary feeding (a new technique used elsewhere to reduce predation risk) – in our opinion – this is still unproven over time. The reliance on this method alone, with its high resource cost, is a questionable tactic while capercaillie numbers remain critically low.
Furthermore, we have repeatedly raised concerns with Government Agencies that protected species predation is having a significant impact on capercaillie productivity. If diversionary feeding is now considered necessary, that is a clear acknowledgement that this type of predation is an issue.
Seafield and Strathspey is a working estate that must balance conservation with forestry, farming, sporting tourism and local employment and we are committed to conserving the landscape, wildlife and communities connected to it.
We are justifiably proud of our conservation successes with protected species, from ospreys and eagles to the recent rise in c**k capercaillie numbers but we are equally proud of the management of all species on the estate including foxes, corvids and deer.
However, we are not in the habit of ‘counting our chickens before they hatch’. Like balancing the books – we need to strike a balance in nature so that everything has a chance.
Scottish Gamekeepers Association SGA GWCT Scotland
