I just thought it’d be worth commemorating the fact that the red and black grouse shooting seasons end today. For the first time in several years, I didn’t shoot a single grouse this season, but thanks to this blog and the many people I’ve met while writing about Britain’s uplands, I’ve seen more birds this Continue reading

Despite the fact that this blog is grandly named “working for grouse”, I must admit that there is an appallingly small number of red grouse on the Chayne. Spring counts revealed less than twenty birds, and given that the majority of my work on the farm is carried out in the absence of dogs, I Continue reading

It has now been more than a month since I last visited the fantastic estate in Scottish Borders where black grouse have become extraordinarily abundant thanks to solid management and efficient predator control. Passing through again yesterday morning, I stopped by the roadside to listen for any sounds of autumn lekking going on up above Continue reading

Looking to pass a day of idle relaxation this morning, I headed south to the happy hunting grounds of Teesdale, Co. Durham for a second look at one of the best managed pieces of moorland within a three hour drive of Dumfries. Armed with a long camera lens and a stale bun packed for lunch, Continue reading

  I headed up to Glencarron reservoir this afternoon with the intention of looking around an area of Forestry Commission land which has built a local reputation as a confirmed stronghold for black grouse. Combining black grouse habitat with commercial forestry is an extremely delicate business, and having seen something similar in North Wales in Continue reading

Having had such an amazing time looking at huge numbers of black grouse in the Scottish Borders last weekend (see below), I couldn’t resist heading back for another look. Having been up at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh this afternoon (researching for a bigger project on black grouse), I thought that heading home Continue reading

On the whole, the world is a dull place for a black grouse enthusiast. Since 1900, the birds have contracted in range by more than 95%, and it has never been a worse time to see what I regard as the finest creatures on the planet. However, every now and again, life is worth living. Continue reading

This post is chronologically weird, since it concerns a feather I found more than six weeks ago. I have had it sticking up behind my kitchen clock ever since, and it was only when I put the kettle on this morning with my eyes still foggy that it occurred to me that it was quite Continue reading

Dumfries and Galloway has never really been known for its grouse moors. In the golden days of upland sport at the turn of the last century, our hills produced thousands of blackcock, and visitors came up from England to cast a fly on our remote lochs, but we have simply never produced red grouse on Continue reading

The blackcock is in rude health. Five months after meeting him, I have seen him in a variety of different poses and lights and I now think that he is on the verge of looking at his absolute finest. In April, he was dusty brown on his back as a first year cock bird. By Continue reading