County Durham is probably one of the best places in the entire country to see black grouse. While some estates in the highlands of Scotland may have more birds, the blackcock and greyhens of these wide open English hillsides are so conspicuous that they are reliable enough to travel long distances on a tight budget Continue reading

One of many things I have been working on as part of my project to learn more about black grouse is to find out about lekking displays. Having access to a single lekking bird has been a great opportunity to carry out some basic experiments, and I have been determined to find out what makes Continue reading

For the last six months, I have been working on a series of black grouse/moorland related paintings to accompany a project which should come together next year (2012). As I am beginning to draw the illustrations to a close, I thought it might be worth featuring one on the blog, after an experiment to scan Continue reading

As the spring progresses and the black grouse leks become noisier and more focussed, the blackcock who lives beside the farm buildings is losing some of his characteristic caution. In January, the sound of a car three hundred yards away would flush him in a panic, but he let me take this photograph of him Continue reading

Although the blackcock have been bickering and squabbling for the past six weeks, they have only recently started their serious displays. Heading up to the farm this morning, I was delighted to hear a very familiar bubbling sound off in the distance. Stopping three quarters of a mile away from the property to open a Continue reading

I took this photograph this morning after accidentally flushing my favourite blackcock from a stand of rank heather behind the old farm buildings. He got up with a fair clatter, and was more than fifty yards away before I could regain my senses and get the lens onto him. Continue reading

When it comes down to it, black grouse have little in common with their Famous cousins. While red grouse are tied to heather and form close knit family groups, black grouse wander widely across the countryside in large gangs in search of seeds, berries and buds. They are strongly gregarious animals, and the scandinavians buy Continue reading

Since seeing the blackcock for the first time in several months at the start of January, I have seen him two or three times around the farm buildings. On all occasions, I have either been too slow with the camera or have had a gun in my hand instead, so when I came across him Continue reading

Coming across a stack of scrap wood last week, I decided to set about building some grit trays for the red grouse. I spread out some grit at various stations last spring, but the majority were ignored altogether and few were regularly used. In order to raise the grit up to a conspicuous spot, I Continue reading

Any regular readers of this blog will know that its subject matter sways back and forth with no discernible structure or pattern. I make no apology for this, but should explain one particular absence over the past few months. Sixteen weeks have passed since I last saw my favourite blackcock, and it had become fairly Continue reading