Rise and shine for lekking black grouse Have a date with nature with a difference!

Last modified: 09 March 2010

Male black grouse jousting on lek site - Niall Benvie

From 14 March until 9 May you will be able to see the elusive black grouse and watch these rare birds perform their dramatic dance off – but you’ll have to get up early, they start at 5.15am!

Each spring black grouse perform their love dance – called lekking – in the hope of securing a mate for the breeding season. Click on the link to see video footage of a black grouse lek on the RSPB website http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/blackgrouse/videos.aspx

The somewhat comical sight can be seen from a purpose-built hide in UPM Tilhill’s Coed Llandegla Forest in Denbighshire.

The 'Date with nature’ - an RSPB scheme aimed at bringing people closer to nature - will allow people to see male black grouse gather at dawn on the edges of the forest to strut their stuff, flash their white tail feathers and impress the watching females.

Black grouse are renowned for their elusive nature, so the guided walks will offer visitors a special chance to witness a lek first-hand from the hide, without the danger of disturbing the birds.

Becky Clews, People Engagement Manager for RSPB Cymru said: “The lek is a bit surreal, and from the hide you can hear their curdling cries when they see a female, then they start their dance off - strutting proudly, showing off their moves in an effort to entice a female.”

The results of an RSPB Cymru survey of displaying black grouse in 2009, has shown mixed fortunes for the charismatic birds. Overall, 148 displaying males were recorded in six sites (see Note 1) during the breeding season, compared to 156 in 2008 and 181 in 2007.

Numbers increased slightly on some upland moors where RSPB Cymru and partners, including local landowners and farmers, carried out extensive heather management. However, on other sites, where similar habitat management was undertaken, including the RSPB Lake Vyrnwy Reserve, numbers dropped following several years of increases.

Pat Lindley, Senior Conservation Officer for RSPB Cyrmu, explained the drop in numbers: “Black grouse live in some of the wilder parts of upland Wales and are susceptible to bad weather.

The cold and wet summers of the past two years resulted in fewer insects for chicks to feed on, and the severe winter weather over the last two years will have made adult and young survival difficult.”

The lek seen from Coed Llandegla Forest holds up to nine lekking black grouse males, the species is red-listed in Wales, which means it is of the highest conservation concern.

Pat Lindley added: “The results of the recent survey shows the long-term recovery of black grouse in Wales is far from secure. We have made excellent progress and halted the decline to extinction, but we need to continue our management work and support from landowners to ensure we don’t see further declines.”

This walk and others throughout the season costs £5.75 per person, and an experienced guide is on hand to take you on the paths that weave through the forest to the viewing hide. The 5:15am start is definitely worth while!

Telescopes and binoculars are on-hand to help visitors get the best view of the birds, plus a microphone will bring the strange bubbling and screeching calls of the lek even closer.

After an hour or more enjoying the lek, visitors can head back to the visitor centre where a freshly cooked breakfast may be purchased from the Oneplanet Adventure award winning café.

The guided walks take place from 14 March until 9 May, booking for all walks is essential as places are limited to 15 per walk. To reserve your place, please telephone RSPB Cymru on (029) 2035 3008 or email vera.mccarthy@rspb.org.uk

Black grouse guided walks are part of the ‘Date with Nature’ project, a partnership between RSPB Cymru, UPM Tilhill, Oneplanet Adventure, Denbighshire County Council, the Clwydian Range AONB and the Countryside Council for Wales.