The mating ritual of the male ‘black cock’ prompts a show of plumage worthy of a burlesque performer, except it’s the girls (grey hen) who stand on the fringes of the lek (display ground) to enjoy this show.

But despite being a bit of a show-off during the breeding season (leks are visited in Spring very early in the morning) we don’t know a huge amount about this bird and what its needs are in terms of suitable habitat.

Three quarters of the UK’s black grouse population are resident in Scotland but their numbers are still declining in many areas and their nationwide distribution has contracted by 28% since the 1970s. The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) in partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) and Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS), is in the final year of a research project looking at their specific needs in a habitat widespread in Scotland – commercial forestry.

Black grouse in England are closely linked to grouse moor fringes but in Scotland they are usually found where moorland and forests meet. The government hopes to increase Scotland’s forest cover from the current 17% to 25% by 2050. With such large scale plans it is a common consensus that forestry management should also consider wildlife and especially our rarer species.

Dr Patrick White.

GWCT research scientist Dr Patrick White is on the ground gathering information about these spectacular birds: “Although we know much about black grouse requirements, the project aims to improve our knowledge, particularly in relation to commercial forestry, which makes up a large proportion of Scottish forest habitat.” he said.

Since summer 2009 the GWCT researchers have been studying black grouse around two large FCS-owned forests in Highland Perthshire, Tummel and Talladh-a-Bheithe and on surrounding sporting estates and farms which have large adjacent areas of moorland and private woodland.

“A key aspect of the study is fitting birds with radio tags. So far 84 birds (33 hens, 43 cocks and eight that are currently too young to identify their sex) have been caught, mainly as large poults in August using pointing dogs,” explained Patrick. “The radio tags, which weigh as little as a .410 cartridge, allow us to find out where the birds are spending their time. These birds have been visited on a weekly basis to find out at a broad scale whether they are on farmland, moorland or in forestry habitats. By calculating the proportion of each habitat available to the birds and comparing it to where the birds are found we can find out what the birds are choosing.”

Interim results suggest that after moorland, commercial coniferous forestry is favoured over broad-leaved woodland, new-native plantations and farmland. However the habitats being chosen vary greatly between the sexes and between individual birds. Some birds spend much of their time in forestry, whereas others rarely venture into the plantations and spend all their time out on open moorland. With a larger sample size we now hope to look in more detail at how males and females and young birds and old use the landscape differently.

Greyhen being tagged

“We are also looking to see if the birds favour different habitats at different times of the year,” said Patrick. “For example, we would expect hens with chicks to need different habitats to birds surviving a snowy winter. Certainly during the heavy snows of winter 2009-10 some of the birds moved deep into the forestry. In the spring months prior to the nesting in May, many females and some males made extensive use of commercial larches, the buds of which form a high-energy and high-protein food. "

“When the birds are found in forestry we take more fine-scale measurements, looking closely at the density of trees and species in the ground vegetation. So far, almost half of the birds’ locations within commercial coniferous forestry have been in unplanted clearings, clear-fells and young re-stocks, and half in closed-canopy stands. However, within the closed canopy stands, it is often areas where tree density has been reduced, due to thinning, crop-failure or the presence of small glades that the birds appear to be favouring.”

Whilst this research is being undertaken it is complemented by initiatives to stimulate positive action on the ground. GWCT’s senior Scottish advisor Hugo Straker, with funding from SNH, is leading this initiative. He has been providing farmers, foresters and gamekeepers with advice on Scottish Rural Development Programme options and black grouse friendly management and has set up local black grouse study groups to bring these parties together. So far this work has helped to create groups in the Lammermuirs, South Perthshire and Donside.

If you want any further information or to get involved contact Hugo at hstraker@gwct.org.uk. Other groups around Scotland include Highland Perthshire, Speyside (contact Desmond.Dugan@rspb.org.uk) and Deeside.

Everyone involved in these groups is also being asked to record lekking (displaying) cocks at dawn in April and May to help ascertain how birds are responding in each region.