Never let it be thought that, while my blog posts have recently become rather intermittent, that work on the hill has slowed down. My various projects continue apace, and the infrequent postings are because of the ongoing chaos associated with moving house, building what will become pens for grey partridges and wearing out an increasingly Continue reading

Ever since the end of October, the black grouse have become harder to find as they retreated further up onto the hill, beyond the realm of the inbye fields where I walk every day. Last year, they suddenly reappeared in the middle of January on the low ground where a five acre field has been Continue reading

Having seen a blackcock picking off the last haws of the season on Friday (above), it’s probably going to start getting pretty tight for the birds over the next few months. None of my black grouse have been in the inbye fields for over a month, and they now prefer to spend their entire time Continue reading

During the last few weeks, there has been alot of greyhen activity up on the hills around the Chayne. Not that these invisible birds have been making themselves particularly conspicuous, but they have been turning up in unexpected places. One greyhen in particular was flushed on Sunday and flew within a hundred yards of the Continue reading

Trying to learn about black grouse through first hand observation is not easy. Trying to learn about greyhens is next to impossible. These immaculately camouflaged birds can vanish in a moment, and on open hillside, they are masters of disguise. One greyhen in particular spent almost every morning in September on the inbye fields above Continue reading

Up on the hill today, I flushed my favourite blackcock from a patch of heather overlooking the inbye fields. As soon as he was off the ground, it was obvious that something was wrong with him – his recently refurbished tail was almost entirely missing, and only the left outer tail covert remained. It was Continue reading

Just worth mentioning that the blackcock don’t seem to have moved away yet as they did last year in late September. My favourite cock bird was spotted this afternoon in one of his favourite spots on the cattle bucht where he can keep tabs on the hayfield and all the goings on therein. His tail Continue reading

Blackcock are contrary birds. Setting a trap for a stoat this morning, I was treated to a display of overbearing insolence by a lekking blackcock that was so outrageous that I laughed aloud. He stamped around within thirty yards of me, glaring and sneezing as if he was challenging me to mortal combat. Finding the Continue reading

Black grouse at lek is one of the most fantastic sights in the British countryside, but although the behaviour reaches a peak of enthusiasm in March and April, birds can be found spreading their tails at almost any point during the year. With the exception of a few weeks in July when their crucial tail Continue reading

Having been up and down the country looking at black grouse over the past two years, I’ve seen a huge number of birds. Thanks to the fact that I’ve got a camera with a long zoom lens, I’ve been able to take dozens of photographs which have helped me with sketches and paintings, but they Continue reading