Black grouse
Tetrao tetrix
Black Grouse
Today we were treated to a fly past on the Schiehallion road. It was a fly past of seven Blackcock heading east towards a Dùn Coillich. Blackcock are the Male Black grouse - the females are called grey hens. Black grouse are declining in England but are more than holding their own in Scotland. The males are famous for their use of Leks for courtship dances. A Lek is a dancing arena in an open area where the males attempt to impress the females so that they can mate with them. The strongest males occupy the centre of the Lek and they dance and fight in a ceremonial way, all the time uttering a variety of calls. The most audible being a bubbling sound that carries great distances. There is a very large Lek near Glen Quaich and the second largest in Perthshire is to be found at Dùn Coillich community land where there are about fifty males displaying. There used to be a large a Lek on Moulin Vardie but it would seem that the birds were disturbed by the work on the Beauly-Denny powerline. As well as the large Leks there are many smaller Leks around Loch Rannoch and at Braes of Foss to name but a few. Sometimes the Blackcock can be seen perched in flimsy birch trees where they look decidedly out of place like a series of oversized gigantic dark fruits.
Blackcock are game birds which means they used to be shot. I hope I am right in saying that this does not happen any more.
Their preferred habitat is the edge of woodland which provides Lekking sites, nesting places and food. The Lekking behaviour is not confined to Black grouse, Capercaillie do it as well. You may well have noticed some deer fences adorned with diagonal canes. These are designed to make the fences visible to Black grouse because they have been known to flying into them and thereby be killed or injured.
The RSPB, John Muir Trust and Highland Perthshire Communities Land Trust (Dùn Coillich community land) arrange about three Black grouse viewing sessions a year. These are from the fank on the Schiehallion path and the birds are viewed through telescopes so that they are not disturbed. Spring is the best time of year to see Lekking and early in the morning is the best time of day. These sessions are advertised in local publications and online at the time.
Photo Wiki (Commons) by Francesco Veronesi
Tweet of the day - Black Grouse
