Black grouse

Black grouse displaying on the lek

The Black Grouse (a 'red-listed' species of conservation concern) is one of the stars of bird life in Teesdale - which is home to a very high proportion of the whole population resident in England.  Their mating ritual - known as 'lekking', after the traditional display sites (leks) - is one the UK's most extraordinary wildlife spectacles. Here's a slideshow, with some video below.

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Black Grouse 'lekking' - a five-minute version, and a fifteen-minute version for a better flavour of the full (roughly two-hour) experience!