WORKINGLINE IMAGES: THE BLACK GROUSE ......

THE LEK

Last year Andrew made the trip north to capture the Black Grouse lekking.

The weather was determined to play it's part and very early on a saturday morning in the deep mist and murk an addiction spawned....

It has become less about "that shot" and more about being part of one of natures stunning rituals.

So this year, we both headed north, last year a 200 - 400mm lens proved to short, even with an extender and a crop sensor, so this year the weapon of choice was a Canon 600mm.

I wish I could describe how it feels to be sat atop a moor with the weather sailing past... vast, open, space, peace .. nothing really fits. For those that have been, you will hopefully understand, for those that haven't, should you ever get the opportunity.. grab it, with both hands.

We spent a while at dusk checking out where the grouse had been lekking and getting a feel for the Polaris which we had very kindly been loaned.

In all honesty some of the Workingline team could maybe have spent the rest of the evening putting this through it's paces, but a very early start dictated an early evening.

MORE THAN A 4X4

HEADING OF THE MOOR AT THE END OF THE EVENING

CHECKING OUT THE SCOPE OF THE 600MM

Well the alarm called at 4am and after grabbing a flask we headed back across the moor in the gloom and the low cloud !!!!

Could the sun just not have shone a little.

Nothing however could have prepared me for what came next...

The noise ... the huge amount of noise that the grouse were making .. a constant vibration and then as a pair started to display a more insistant shrill call ...

There were around 30 birds displaying and right in the middle, two grey hens, calmly watching the spectacle.

We sat with them for a good few hours, and although there were no aerial displays, it was truly a priviledge to be able to watch this breath taking display.