Red Grouse In Snow

Following on from the other days wintry post, I thought I'd share a couple of shots of Red Grouse taken on a very cold but sunny morning in the Derbyshire Peak District...

Dark Peak Grouse

I was up and out at first light this morning for a first trip in several months to one of my favourite locations, the Dark Peak region of Derbyshire.

The ice on my car windscreen was a bit of a giveaway, but I'm experienced enough to know that clear Sky's and sunshine don't make things any less harsher at one of the most remote and hostile places in Britain...It was bloody freezing up there!!

I was hoping to capture the elusive Mountain Hare today and walked deep onto the moors to an area which is always a decent place to spot them...Sadly I had no luck though, despite finding plenty of tracks in the soft peat bogs.

One creature that was a lot easier to find was my old favourite, the Red Grouse...

Did I say easy to find? They can be pretty aloof too when they want to be...

Unless of course you start to get too close...

Interested in photographing Red Grouse?  Then please visit my website... http://www.ajdixonphotography.co.uk/page11305.html

The Famous Grouse

The usual mixture of four seasons in one day in the High Peak yesterday morning and a first visit in over a month to see the Red Grouse.

The golden rule when walking in this region is to be prepared for anything, but nothing could have prepared me for the sight of a Weasel drinking from a small pool only yards from where I had parked my car...Needless to say, he didn't have the manners to wait as I hurriedly unpacked my camera equipment!

This was my first trip out with the camera for several weeks, due to a combination of family commitments and ill-health and I must admit that I felt a little rusty...
I had forgotten the golden rule about being prepared for anything...Forgetting my wellington boots meant I was limited mainly to the crude paths that wind through the region because the moors were at their most boggiest!

Despite being a little disappointed about missing a few shots of smaller birds, I did alright with the target species for the morning, the Red Grouse.
There were very good numbers of the birds about, but they did seem even more jumpy than normal.
I had no luck with the females yesterday, but there were one or two males that allowed me to get close...

Winter Photography Workshops

I'm please to announce a couple of new Workshops for this upcoming winter...

Following on from the popular August Red Grouse Workshop, I'll be conducting a number of Winter Red Grouse Workshops where I'll be sharing my fieldcraft knowledge and techniques on getting close to these very shy birds.
The Workshops will take place in the stunning surroundings of the Derbyshire Peak District at what I regard to be a very reasonable £45 for a minimum 4 hour session.
The second Workshop will take place in Cheshire and the focus will be on another shy creature...The Red Deer.
Price again for this one will be £45.


Both Workshops will be taking place between October 2010 and April 2011.

For more information please contact me via the main website... www.ajdixonphotography.co.uk

Full details of these and other Workshops are also available on the site.

What is Happening With The Red Grouse Study?

Quite a few people have asked me recently"What is happening with the Red Grouse Study?"
Well the simple answer is it's still ongoing!

Just to elaborate slightly...
I haven't stopped studying the Grouse of the Derbyshire Peak District, in fact I've made a good number of trips to the moors in the last few weeks and I have hundreds of shots of the birds.
The truth is I'm looking at the bigger picture and I've been compiling an article on the birds which will hopefully be published in the near future.

It wouldn't be wise to publish everything I find on this blog, but I will do a brief update soon.
In the meantime, here are a couple of recent shots of a male...

Red Grouse Study (6)

Last night I had a very pleasant walk up on the moors to one of my favourite Red Grouse sites.
It was a very warm summers evening and probably as hot as I've ever been in this normally very bleak location.

Unusually there were not many Grouse about and I only got a fleeting glimpse of a distant female bird flying off into the sunset.
Well actually, that's not entirely true...I did find another female bird, but sadly she must have been found by a predator first.
All that was left was a carcass, her bones picked dry by a unknown bird of prey...
Although Red Grouse are (as I've pointed out before) superbly camouflaged in this moorland landscape, they are also unfortunately slow, clumsy flyers and very easy pickings for any potential predator that spots them.
This part of the Peak District is home to Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk and even the odd Red Kite...Sadly the Red Grouse is no match for any of these formidable foes.

Red Grouse Study (5)

Back up the moors this morning for another trip to see how the Grouse were getting on...

Unusually for me, I overslept this morning and didn't leave the house until 7.30.

Actually, I've had a stinking cold for the last couple of days and I really didn't feel like going anywhere, but I had been looking forward to seeing the Grouse for the first time in a couple of weeks and decided to make the effort.

I was really hoping that there might of been some youngsters to be seen today, but sadly I didn't manage to spot any.

In fact it was an unusually quiet day for Red Grouse and I only saw 4 males and just the one female.

I must admit, that feeling so lousy restricted the amount of searching I was prepared to do and although it was a nice bright morning, the usual cold wind wasn't making me feel any better and my energy levels were very low.

You always have to be careful when approaching birds, especially at this time of year when they are tending to their young and I was very conscious this morning of not getting too close to the Grouse in case there were any juveniles around.

I've become very familiar with the Grouse in this area and I knew that if I set my camera on the tripod and waited, then the birds would come to me.

Sure enough after a short time, a curious male bird came within a few feet...

By this time, I was losing the battle with my cold and after foolishly forgetting to bring any water with me, I decided to call it a day and head back to the car.

The long walk back to the car seemed to take forever and I really was beginning to regret getting out of bed.

The only thing keeping me going was the occasional wildlife sighting, which included a very distant Mountain Hare and a few beautiful Golden Plover...

I was the only human being in this lonely part of the Peak District this morning and although I normally revel in the isolation, it became slightly worrying at times as my tiredness started to get the better of me and my thirst became more and more of a problem.

The sights and sounds of the moorland birds lifted my spirits and helped to keep my focus away from self-pitying state of mind.

There are always good numbers of Skylark about at this time of year, but spotting them isn't easy in the thick heather landscape.

Now and again, you do get lucky and one will make it's self known to you...

Finally, the views are always stunning in this part of the world and it's always nice to stop for a while and take them in...

Red Grouse Study (4)

It was one of those typical early spring mornings today in the Dark Peak...

Mist clearing, leaving a dull overcast light, then rain, then bright sunshine and a cold breeze too!

I was hoping to capture the first of the spring arrivals today, but unusually there wasn't a great many Grouse about...Further leading me to believe that there is some egg sitting behaviour going on and the young must be due anytime now.

Of the 5 Red Grouse I did encounter in the hour and a half I chanced the changeable weather conditions in my poorly considered light weight jacket, only one was a female and she appeared to be still courting a male bird that seldom left her side.

It was very pleasing to be able to get some exceptionally close views of this loving couple and at times the two birds were only a matter of a few feet away as I quietly observed them.

The birds were getting so close I considering switching to a 300mm lens, but then the pair exploded into the air in blind panic and flew in opposite directions into thick heather.

I thought we were all getting along so well...What had I done to cause this distress to these beautiful birds?

I certainly didn't make any sudden movements or anything else that would alarm them.

I looked around and into the sky where a beautiful and rare visitor to this part of the world was making light work of 'lifting' every bird in a mile radius...A Red Kite!

I watched in wonder as this magnificent raptor scoured the landscape before flying off in a south easterly direction.

A minute or so later, the male Grouse returned, shortly followed by the female and both birds settled a matter of feet away from me again.

I was actually quite touched to think that these birds seemed to trust me so much especially after the fright they had just experienced or maybe they knew that the Kite would not return for them as long as they were in my company...

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...

Red Grouse Study (2)

It was one of those typical mornings on Bleaklow with the bright spring sunshine I left behind at the bottom of the Snake Pass replaced by a thin mist and cold chill on my arrival...

I was greeted almost as soon as I arrived by a pair of Grouse who seemed to take as much interest in me as I had in them, allowing some very close shots without too much effort on my part.

A good start then...Well yes and no!

Yes it was great to start the morning off with such lovely close views, but it did come at a price after deciding to wear my soft trainer-like (and not very waterproof) walking boots and finding myself ankle deep in a watery peak bog!

So with cold feet and ringing wet socks I continued on the crude rocky path through the moorland in search of more Grouse and it wasn't long before I encountered several other pairs.

I noticed that the male and female Grouse were staying very close to each other in all the pairs I saw, which is a sure sign that courtship is well and truly underway.

Hopefully in the coming weeks, we might have some young to photograph!

There was certainly a noticeable change in atmosphere on the moors today and the familiar sound of the Red Grouse was matched by spring arrivals including Curlew, Skylark and the very beautiful Golden Plover.

There were also some dramatic changes to the environment as well with the sight of dozens of bulk bags that were scattered across the moors due to some essential conservation work on the delicate peat landscape.

Because most of this project will take place in this area of the Peak District, I thought I should explain a little more about this harsh environment...

Bleaklow is a high area of peat covered gritstone moorland accessible from the A57 Snake Pass and a few miles from the nearest town of Glossop.

The area is the most easterly point in the British Isles over 2000 ft.

Much of the main plateau is boggy moorland seamed by water-eroded channels in the peat known as 'Groughs' and it's traverse is regarded to be the most navigationaly challenging in the Peak District.

Red Grouse Study (1)

So far this spring I have made two trips to the Peak District where my observations for this project will take place.

On the first occasion my real targets were Mountain Hare, but because of inclement weather I settled for photographing Red Grouse.

The second occasion the Grouse were my targets and after observing an interesting trait in their behaviour, the seeds of this project were sewn...

The area of Bleaklow that I visited on Sunday contained a total of 3 pairs of Grouse in an area roughly about a square mile.

Whether or not all 3 pairs were nesting in this immediate area remains to be seen because the Red Grouse is a very territorial bird and the males fight aggressively to establish breeding territory throughout the autumn and into winter.

I decided to focus my attention on the pair that were nearest to the location I had parked my car because at this point my only aim was to photograph the birds and then leave.

As I was making my way towards these birds, which were still a good half a mile away, something caught my eye hiding in the heather...This it turns out was a female Grouse and I was immediately struck by how well camouflaged she was in this her natural habitat.

I made my way slowly and stealthily towards her, keeping as low as it was possible to do so while carrying my camera equipment over exposed open moorland.

As I got closer to the bird I fully expected to flush her, but to my surprise she stayed put until I was within 20 feet or so, but by this time her head was raised and her eyes were firmly upon me.

Then the moment came that inspired to begin this little project...

Seemingly out of nowhere, a male appeared next to the female and started to display vigorously.

The display it turns out wasn't for the female but for myself!

My eyes and camera were transfixed on this fine looking male as he proceed to strut almost Rooster like, up and down in front of the female, all the time edging a little further away from her position.

Eventually he changed his tact slightly and moved a good few yards away from the site of the female, but walked a good few feet closer to me.

I found all this to be totally mesmerising and I soon realized that this was the response he was after because all the while the male was keeping me entertained, the female was making an exit in the other direction...I'd been had by a Red Grouse!

Next, I decided to back off by quite some distance and the male soon rejoined his mate about a hundred or so yards from their original location.

I then set off slowly in the direction of their new location and I was soon only a matter of yards away again...I decided to stop here and see what happened.

To my surprise the birds didn't seem to mind my presence at this new spot and were happily feeding, sometimes even moving closer towards me.

Every time they did move away, I followed keeping a constant distance of about 20-25 feet between us...This I think is as close as I want to get because the last thing I want to do is cause any distress to these beautiful birds.

In conclusion, I can only think that the site where I first saw the female must have been her nest site and although it's a little early for her to be sat on eggs, I think that this must have been thought of as a premium spot for rearing her young...This feeling was re-enforced after seeing the 2 birds returning to this spot after I had later moved on.

Red Grouse Study Introduction (2)

I had to laugh this morning, after joining the Nature Blog Network yesterday and finding out today that they have categorised my blog in the 'Academic' section!

I guess this is the result of me naming this project 'Red Grouse Study'...Oh the irony!

Like I tried to explain yesterday, I have no aspirations to be some kind of Red Grouse scholar if you please, all I really want to do is learn a little bit about these fine birds and watch and photograph their behaviour.

I imagine that these reports will be more akin to a 'O level ' essay than some deep and groundbreaking scientific paper, but hey I'll do the best I can.

So to the star of the show...The Red Grouse.

I thought I'd get the ball rolling by giving a little bit of basic background information about the species...

Red Grouse Lagapus lagopus

The Red Grouse is a race of Willow Grouse that is only found in parts of Great Britain and Ireland.

While the European Willow Grouse has a largely white plumage, the Red Grouse is a reddish/brown colour.

A medium size Grouse standing 37-42 cm, they are a very plump bird with a small head and hooked-tipped bill.

The male of the species is much redder in colour than the female and has a red wattle above it's eyes.

The preferred habitat of the Red Grouse is extensive heather moorland, but it's also at home in areas of upland bog...The Peak District, where most of my observations will take place is perfect because it offers both of these scenarios.

The Red Grouse feeds mainly on the ground eating heather shoots and invertebrates such as Crane Fly.

Small young Grouse feed mainly on insects including Crane Fly, Beetles and Sawfly larvae as well as moorland plants.

The female Red Grouse usually lays 6-9 eggs in late April or May which are laid in a hollow that is scraped by the female amongst the heather or soft rush.

The female incubates, but the male is always close at hand.

The young are active soon after hatching and feed themselves.

The flight feathers of the young grow very quickly and they fledge in 11-12 days.

They are not fully grown until 30-35 days and they stay with their family for 6-8 weeks.

So that's the basics that I've learned through a little research...I now hope to provide my own insight into these birds over the next year or so...

Anthony Dixon R.A. (Reluctant Academic) Manchester, England.

Red Grouse Study Introduction

Earlier this year I told you that I was planning a couple of projects for 2010...One features migrant birds and should hopefully get underway next month and the other was to capture Owl species in my home borough of Stockport.

Frustratingly the Owls are becoming a very time consuming venture and the rewards have been very few up to now.

I've decided to take a far more leisurely approach to the Owls and while not abandoning the idea altogether, I feel that my time could be better spent on another species in the meantime...

The species I have chosen is my old favourite, the Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus).

My reasoning behind this choice is, despite being a fairly common sight on the bleak moorlands of Britain, it still remains an elusive and in my opinion a very interesting subject.

I propose to study these birds at regular intervals throughout the seasons for the next 12 months.

Starting now makes perfect sense to me because obviously it's the start of spring and hopefully I'll get to witness new arrivals in the next couple of months.

Now, I'm calling this my 'Red Grouse Study'...Don't get me wrong, I'm not a scientist nor do I have any aspirations to be so.

I do however want to observe these birds the best I can and hopefully learn a little more about their behaviour.

I have said before on these pages about how much I admire the hardy Red Grouse and hopefully over the next year or so, should you choose to follow this project you will find out exactly why I hold it in such high esteem.

Not So Bleak In The Peaks!

Early start today in what looked to be glorious conditions for a trip to the Peaks and another attempt at the elusive Mountain Hare.

I arrived at Bleaklow at around 7.30am and was greeted by clear blue Sky's and a in-car temperature of -9 degrees!



They don't call it Bleaklow for nothing and after about 10 minutes of my journey across the plateau that leads to the Higher Shelf, I was already extremely cold and struggling to walk in the still very deep snow...

After a while, I spotted Mountain Hare tracks and decided to follow them a little further on and to a place that I knew would give me better cover from the elements and the animals themselves.

The further I ventured, the more difficult conditions were getting...
This was a very physically demanding trek in the snow, over some of the hardest terrain in the UK and when I reached a deep icy ravine I decided to stop and think about my options...
Should I continue and risk damaging my equipment and worse injury or should I turn back?

There was however another option and that was to turn back and drive to another spot which I know is pretty good for Hares.
This I decided was the most logical.


I arrived at the new location just in time to see a mountain rescue team heading off in my planned direction!
This of course wasn't good news and despite the seemingly good weather, conditions were dangerous and people were obviously getting into trouble in this most unforgiving of landscapes...Time to cut my losses and resign myself to not getting the desired shots.

I didn't feel all that bad about not seeing the Mountain Hare on this occasion...There will be plenty of other times and during my adventure I managed to capture a lot of very pleasing shots of another moorland speciality...The Red Grouse.






I have always found the Grouse to be one of the most captivating of creatures...
Not only are they a truly handsome bird, but they ooze character and I also have a great admiration for the way these hardy birds survive in the most harshest of environments.

It is always one of the great joys of the moors to witness the Red Grouse's almost clumsy flight and their comical cackle never fails to put a smile on my face.

All in all and largely due to the Grouse...this will go down as a good day photography wise, especially after a couple of disappointing trips recently.