Just in terms of an update on the blind black grouse, he seems to be in very good spirits. I’ve now had him for four months and he has come back well after his moult. His plumage is pretty well immaculate, although his longest tail feathers are always a bit tatty (as per the photo, above). I wonder if his tail is tatty because he catches it in the chicken mesh walls of his pen or whether he can’t see them to reach them with his beak and tidy them up. He frequently preens all of his other feathers, so I wonder what the explanation for these longer and tattier feathers is.
His lekking displays are nothing like as frequent as they were when I first got him, but he is still quite keen. In August and September, he would bubble away three or four times a day but now I only hear him about once a week. This is probably because of the season but it might also have something to do with worms. I haven’t dosed him for some time and nothing picks up worms like a grouse. If he’s feeling a bit under the weather as a result of worms then it wouldn’t be surprising to see his displays take a turn towards the infrequent. I’ll batter some flubenvet into him in the new year so that he’s feeling tip top for the spring. The same is true for my grey partridge breeding stock, who could also do with a clear out soon.
All in all, I have no regrets when it comes to this blind blackcock. It has been fascinating to observe him over the past four months, and I can’t wait to see how he does in the spring. Hopefully, this time next year I will have some healthy birds to work with and then things will really get interesting.
Bog Myrtle & Peat 
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