Bog Myrtle & Peat

Walking over the hill the other week, I found one of the blackcock’s feathers lying in the grass. My immediate reaction was one of gloomy resignation. Nobody has seen him now for more than three weeks, so it is now widely assumed that he has been killed and eaten by some no-good prowler. Finding a feather suggested that that was indeed the case until I remembered that he was moulting when I last saw him, and there is every chance that he is still alive and well.

The feather was black with brown speckles, further confirmation that my bird is in his first year, but something more interesting caught my attention. Although I had never seen one before, all grouse species have “after shafts” in their body feathers. An “after shaft” is a downy appendage which grows parallel with the main outer feather, providing added warmth and insulation to the bird, and this feather was no exception. If he is still alive, my blackcock’s summer moult will be progressing well and by mid October, he should have his full adult plumage.