All about the grit

Nidderdale Moorland Group

As winter approaches heather becomes more tough, dry and coarse meaning our resident population of Red Grouse have to eat more of it.

Heather shoots make up approximately 80% of the diet of Red Grouse and to aid digestion grouse, like other birds, consume small quantities of grit every day Once it reaches the gizzard, the grit acts as the 'bird's teeth' grinding up the tough, fibrous plant material the birds have consumed.

Red Grouse feed hard and pack their crop with up to 120 grams of food before going to roost in the evening.

This food will then be slowly ground up with the help of the grit in the gizzard as the bird rests overnight.

Red Grouse favour quartz grit which can occur naturally on moors but is also provided at certain times of the year by our moorland gamekeepers.

By providing multiple gritting points gamekeepers help to reduce the competition between territorial birds and ensure good quality grit is readily available all around the moor.

Grit may be placed on raised mounds, turfs and on prominent areas such as rocks and the tops of walls and, as the shooting seasons draws to a close, many of our moorland gamekeepers are now starting their rounds to replenish the gritting stations to help the birds whose diet is becoming dryer and coarser as Heather and other moorland plants die back for winter.