Red Grouse 'What have they done to my heather'

[William Dickson]

Canon 1DX
f/4 500mm with 1.4
f/5.6
1/800
ISO 1250

Red Grouse hide, sleep, nest and live in heather. This is a purple coloured dense plant which grows throughout the glens and moors. (you'll have seen it on my other Red Grouse images). The buds of the plant is the main diet of the Red Grouse. In Scotland the gamekeepers and farmers burn a lot of the heather throughout the Glen. They say that it produces better plants when they regrow. I'm not so sure, as it gives the grouse less places to hide, during the shooting season. This one is standing on a clump of grasses, overlooking the heather, some, of which, was still smouldering.

Will

[Joseph Przybyla]

Your nailing these Red Grouse. Beautiful bird, nicely shown. Good composition showing a tad of environment in the foreground, perfect background. Colors look good on the bird although I am not familiar with it. Thank you for sharing, Will.

[annmpacheco]

Hi Will, miss the heather as well but his colors against the sparse vegetation is lovely. I like the snow and water drops, BG is nice and moody.

[John Mack]

The grouse master returns. Like the low angle and that sweet background. Composition is well balanced.

[Krishna Prasad kotti]

Beautiful Image. I like the nice Back ground which complements the subject.

Thanks for sharing.

[Dorian Anderson]

Great look at this bird. Perfect amount of habitat for context. He really pops!

[Gerald Kelberg]

Hi Will,

I've been trying to come up with an appropriate response in the context of my concerns over grouse shooting.

I really like your image - technically well executed and it is a beautiful looking bird. Would this have been captive bred and released for shooting?

I had forgotten that they burn off the heather to reduce cover for the birds and to prevent 'wilding' of the moors.

Presumably, many of the readers in this forum would be unaware of the controversy over the impact of grouse shooting on raptors - both with studies showing that raptors generally 'do less well' on grouse moors and patterns of disappearances of White-tailed Eagles, Harriers, Buzzards and Goshawks that suggest illegal killing of these birds by 'gamekeepers' and others associated with the hunts. There have been convictions but the penalties are too lenient.

Harvesting of game is not an issue for me, but driving game to a line of shooters, to me is a pathetic excuse for sport. And the environmental cost of this sport is unacceptable to me.

Best wishes,

Gerald

[William Dickson]

Thanks for the comments guys, much appreciated.

Hi Gerald, I agree with your comments. The raptors in the area where I photograph the Red Grouse, seem to be declining as well. I have been going to the same Glen for over 10 years, and experienced a sharp decline in raptors. 10 years ago, I would see Buzzards, Golden Eagle, Harriers, Short Eared Owl. Now I am lucky to see one raptor whilst there. These Red Grouse I photograph are completely wild and not captive bred. I don't think the Grouse, Red or Black, are declining in the Glen I go to, but certainly the raptors are. The scottish law is changing for the better, but at present, I agree the penalties are too lenient.

Will