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Celebrity Black Grouse Walk
On Saturday 21 March Mike Dilger will be hosting the first Black Grouse walk of the season to see these rare birds perform their dramatic dance off.
Black grouse perform their love dance – called lekking – each spring in the hope of securing a mate for the breeding season and this somewhat comical sight can be seen from a purpose-built hide in UPM Tilhill’s Coed Llandegla Forest in Denbighshire.
From the end of March until early June, male black grouse gather at dawn on the edges of the forest to strut their stuff, flash their white tail feathers and impress the watching females.
Mike Dilger will host the first walk of the season at 5.15am and will take visitors to the lek site at Coed Llandegla Forest. Black grouse are renowned for their elusive nature, so the guided walk will offer visitors a special chance to witness a lek first-hand from the hide, without the danger of disturbing the birds.
Mike Dilger, presenter and naturalist said: “The lek is mesmerising, and every bit as skilful and exciting as any mating dance you will see. The passion and the drama is tremendous as the males strut proudly, showing off their moves in an effort to entice a female”.
There are approximately 230 lekking black grouse males in Wales with the lek seen from Coed Llandegla Forest holding up to nine. The species is red-listed in Wales, which means it is of the highest conservation concern.
Mike continued: “The work of conservation organisations and landowners to create ideal conditions for black grouse has helped their population in Wales increase from a low of 131 lekking males in 1997 to 213 in 2005, showing that conservation efforts really do have an impact.’
The walks cost £5.75 per person and the experienced guide will take you on the paths that weave through the forest to the viewing hide. The 5:15am start is definitely worth while! For visitors with limited mobility, a minibus operated by Denbighshire Countryside Services will take participants to within 400m of the hide on 26 April and 1 May.
Telescopes and binoculars are on-hand to help visitors get the best view of the birds, plus a microphone will bring the strange bubbling and screeching calls of the lek even closer. After an hour or more enjoying the lek, the group will head back to the visitor centre where a freshly cooked breakfast may be purchased from the Oneplanet Adventure award winning café.
The guided walks take place from Friday to Sunday from 21 March and 31 May. Booking for all walks is essential as places are limited to 15 per walk.
To reserve your place, please telephone RSPB Cymru on (029) 2035 3008 or email vera.mccarthy@rspb.org.uk
Black grouse guided walks are part of the ‘Date with Nature’ project, a partnership between RSPB Cymru, UPM Tilhill, Oneplanet Adventure, Denbighshire County Council and the Countryside Council for Wales.