Red Grouse Study (3)

Another trip to Bleaklow last Friday to see if there had been any developments with the resident Red Grouse and the most obvious thing I noticed was the distinct lack of female birds.

I counted 12 different males and just the one solitary hen.

After all the recent courtship behaviour, I can only assume that the lack of the females is due to one factor and hopefully this is very good news...

I'm hoping that the females are hid away on the moors sitting on eggs and if this is indeed the case, we should have some new arrivals to report anytime soon and hopefully in time for my next planned visit on Sunday.

This was the morning after the volcanic eruption in Iceland that grounded air traffic all over Europe and I arrived at the location intending to capture the sunrise, but unfortunately I was a few minutes late.

Even so the sky was still spectacular, casting a strange but beautiful red glow across the moors.

The male Grouse seem to be getting use to me and I seem to be able to get a little bit closer every time I visit the location...In fact sometimes I can be even too close to get a nicely composed photograph and I find myself having to back off a little.

This male was very cooperative and happily posed for this portrait...