Black Grouse Habitat Project

Spotting a black grouse is a rare treat. The striking males are easy to identify. Look out for their vivid red 'eyebrows', glossy blue-black feathers, and cackling cry. Their female counterparts, called greyhens, are masters of camouflage, raising chicks among the heather.

These iconic birds are in trouble: black grouse are now one of the UK’s fastest-declining birds.

We’re committed to reversing that trend. Working alongside Galloway Glens and the RSPB, we’re taking steps to restore habitats and give the black grouse a fighting chance. First get to know these magnificent birds.

Meet the black grouse

Curious, elusive, and full of character, the black grouse is one of Scotland’s most remarkable birds. If you’re lucky you might spot one or see signs that some are nearby.

You may see them all year round. To avoid disturbance during the peak sensitive period, try to avoid walking the open heather moorland between May and July. This period is when the birds are nesting. Also, be sure to follow the RSPB Birdwatchers' Code at all times.

Between April and May, when black grouse lekking is at its peak early in the morning, choose a public path or forest road low in a glen surrounded by open ground and hills.

If you’re lucky and the weather is calm, then you can often hear the males’ unique bubbling call up to 1km away.

Grouse have been known to fly into tall deer fences. To combat this in areas where grouse are present, we make our fences highly visible. We use grouse markers which can be identified by the diagonal and upright reflective batons or brightly coloured netting. If you see a marked fence there’s a good chance that black grouse and / or capercaillie may be nearby.

Habitat restoration

To give the black grouse a brighter future, we've been taking steps to improve their habitats. Dense coniferous forest has replaced much of the open space that black grouse depend on. In recognition of this, we are making our forests more diverse to aid the black grouse, as well as a large amount of other wildlife. In Galloway, where black grouse still have a stronghold, we’ve gone even further to support this important population.

An area near Clatteringshaws, around 85 hectares (or 130 football fields), underwent extensive restoration between 2018 and 2019. This included the removal of many non-native conifer trees to return the land to a mosaic of habitats. Since then, we’ve seen black grouse return to this area. However, the story is far from over.

Looking ahead

Staff and volunteers spent around 200 hours in the spring of 2021 looking for black grouse during their annual lek. This mating display is acknowledged as the best way to gauge the number of breeding birds present. Whilst many grouse were either seen or heard, some known lek sites appeared not to have been in use. This made it unclear if the population had suffered further decline due to a lack of chicks surviving into adulthood.

The work done so far is only a start and ongoing monitoring is essential. If the black grouse is to thrive, more land needs to be managed on a large scale with its needs in mind. We have worked with Galloway Glens, the RSPB and the Black Grouse Project Officer to create grouse management plans.

These will allow us to manage land with the needs of the black grouse in mind.

Only time will tell the success of these plans, but we’re proud to be doing our part to help this iconic bird.

Wildlife conservation

Black Grouse Habitat Project