LEADING landowners, farmers, land agents and estate managers have been invited to see how they can help bring the black grouse back to their land.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), with the Black Grouse Recovery Project, is holding a morning of walks and briefings around Reeth today to show how the bird can be helped.

One of Britain's most endangered species, the black grouse is making a comeback in the North Pennines thanks to careful land-management, helped by Defra's Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Areas schemes.

Last year, a survey showed a three-fold increase in numbers of displaying males on land which has been managed to encourage the birds.

The birds prefer moor edges and thrive where there is a variety of habitats, including heather, rough pastures, small native woodlands and hay meadows.

In Arkengarthdale, where black grouse management is under way, the number of males has risen from nine in 1998 to 24 last year.

The success has been attributed to a number of factors. These include a reduction in sheep numbers on moorland, native woodlands beings planted, improvements to meadows and pastures, and gamekeepers controlling key predators.