Black Grouse in Lääne County, Estonia

Observation from March 30, 2018

In Germany, Black Grouse are critically endangered. According to NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V./Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union), less than 1.600 female Black Grouse live in isolated areas.

In Estonia, however, the number of male Black Grouses is supposed to be up to 10.000 birds (according to our guide). To watch some of them, we went to a traditional lek site in Läänemaa Suursoo Landscape Reserve. It was an area of huge fields between woods and bogs.

We had gotten up at 5 a.m. and arrived before daybreak. It was minus 10 degrees, and the ground was frosty and partly covered in snow. We stopped on a road and watched from a great distance, staying close to our vans. About 25 male Black Grouses were already there.

They displayed their tail feathers in a fan, strutted in the arena and faced each other. Some flew short distances to fight other grouses, some left the arena, and some stayed on birch trees in the distance. The air was filled with their deep bubbling and sometimes hissing sounds. We supposed that there were more grouses around than we actually saw.

It was a unique experience! We were excited and in awe. Watching and listening to the lekking grouses while the sun was rising, no one was tired, hungry or freezing. We stayed for more than one hour, watching with binoculars and spotting scopes and taking lots of pictures. Only before leaving, we had coffee and sandwiches right there on the field. Best breakfast ever!