After over a year of trying to get any of black grouse pictures, I packed myself my ghillie and ghillie blanket and book and decided to wait on the spot where I saw them fighting yesterday.
It was very long patience game. The black grouse males showed three times and flew away minutes later and I was losing hope that they'll come in place where I can see them and take any pictures of them.
But then 6 males came and started calling, my hands were shaking from adrenaline and yet, I had to move very slowly, even if covered under ghille blanket, since any random movement would just spook them.
Here the grouse gather every morning in late April/early May on a lek ... their designated "dancing" ground. They return there every year. I visited a lek several years ago that had a viewing hut set up. They dance and call and fight. Ours are short-tailed grouse. Not quite as dramatically colored as these black grouse.
@aecasey in here, we have just a small flock, so they will change their area randomly, and often they're just "few meters away around the corner", I can hear them, I know where they are but there's no chance of approaching as they are very quick to fly away
Here the grouse gather every morning in late April/early May on a lek ... their designated "dancing" ground. They return there every year. I visited a lek several years ago that had a viewing hut set up. They dance and call and fight. Ours are short-tailed grouse. Not quite as dramatically colored as these black grouse.