Country diary: A dawn search for the rare black grouse | Eben Muse

2026-03-14 - 11:53

Ruabon grouse moor, Wrexham: Mating season is upon us. Will I be lucky enough to spot a courtship lek? I’m shooting grouse on the moor today. There are two kinds here: red grouse, a gamebird reared and shot in its thousands; and its larger, rarer cousin, the black grouse. The latter is supposedly spared by a ban that remains voluntary despite catastrophic declines in recent decades. As it’s not shooting season, which runs from August to mid-December, I shoulder a camera, not a shotgun, hoping to snap one of these increasingly rare birds. Springtime is when black grouse start to breed, so I arrive before dawn, which is when they lek – a courtship dance where they fan their tails, peck and scuffle with their rivals. Continue reading...