Grouse

Capercaillie lek

Dawn chorus at a Capercaillie lek

Black Grouse lek

Capercaillie, Common Crane and Black Grouse

Black Grouse and Raven

Black Grouse and Common Crane

Black Grouse lekking

This has been my nemesis bird. For three years I have been trying to record its song and today it happened. I was out in the forest to set up a hide for the Capercaillie lek in advance (will start in one month's time) when I flushed a hazel grouse. In the recording you will hear the contact call the first minute together with lekking black grouse in the distance. After one minute it starts to sing. In the end of the recording you will hear some kind of sub-song of the hazel grouse. Don't know if this has been recorded before. Other birds in the recording are mistle thrush, skylark, jay, raven, coal tit, crested tit, great tit and more. Älgpussen, Uppland. March 19, 2023.

Hazel Grouse in song, finally!

A more than one hour long droprig recording (AudioTechnica BP4025 less than 10 m from the lekking ground). The first males arrived arround 5:00 AM but the real lek started when the sun rose (6:00 AM) when also the females arrived. Around 10 males and several females attended the lek this morning. Probably the peak of the mating season. Mistle thrushes can be heard singing in flight, several species of geese migrating north, redpolls, brambling and chaffinches migrated north. A very memorable night! Also with Ural Owl, Tengmalm's Owl and Pygmy Owl (not on the recording though). April 9, 2023.

Lekking Black Grouse

I spent the night in the forest to wake up with lekking Capercaillie. This is the fourth year in a row in late April. This year I was in luck since three hens visited the dominant male who displayed just in front of my mic. The ultra-sound part of their calls can be heard here. April 21, 2023.
AudioTechnica BP6025, Mixpre 3ii

Capercaillie lekking during the hen week

I spent the night in the forest to wake up with lekking Capercaillie. The first minute of the recording two different males fly in to their favourite pine at dusk and directly after they "belch" once or twice. After one minute we have the lek at dawn when they have the very low buzzing (<100 Hz) at the sizzling end part.  April 21, 2023.
AudioTechnica BP6025, Mixpre 3ii

Capercaillies flying in at dusk and lekking at dawn

My contribution to the "Sound of the Year Awards" is a compilation of the highlights from a Black Grouse Lekking site. Around 10 males and 5 females were present during the morning and I had a droprig with Zoom F6 and AudioTechnica BP4025 hidden in a small pine in the central part of the lekking site. Can't wait to go out this year as well. Uppand, April 9, 2023.

Black Grouse lekking highlights

Seven males black grouse were present on their lekking ground this morning but since no female was there, they only played for 20 minutes around 5AM and then 10 minutes around 8AM. This recording was "destroyed" by a redwing in the end that sang straight into the microphones! Huddunge, Uppland. April 9, 2024.

Mixpre 3ii + Lewitt 440 pure in ortf

Black grouse lek interrupted

Black grouse has declined in numbers in Uppland quite dramatically. No wonder given the amount of clearcutting. This is one of the last black grouse cocks displaying all by himself on a clearcut. 
Uppland, May 11 2024.

Zoom F3 + mikro-Usi as tree ears

The last Black Grouse

This is my secret mire where I go in April each year to enjoy the Black Grouse lek. This year with a very nice Mistle Thrush as guest artist.

Huddunge, Uppsala. April 2, 2025.
Zoom F3 + Clippy EM272 as tree ears.

Black Grouse lek and Mistle Thrush song

A capercaillie hen decided to land in the pine tree where I had placed the droprig recorder over night. Some very nice small talk can be heard before the Song Thrush sings straight into the microphones.

Långhällsmossen, Uppland. April 15, 2025.
Zoom F3 + Clippy EM272 as tree ears

Capercaillie small talk

Fifth year in a row on different Capercaillie leks. This year started out slowly at 04.10 AM and about 5 males were displaying without much enthusiam until 07.30 when four females arrived. All of a sudden I had 15 males in front of the hide! Where did they come from. Wonderful recordings of the (almost) infrasound (32 Hz) when the males go "blind". If you listen carefully you will also hear mating of Pygmy Owl and hear when the Capercaillie males go quiet when a Goshawk calls in the distance.

Uppland. April 17, 2025.
Zoom F3 + AudioTechnica BP4025

Capercaillie lek with infrasound

Highlights from a Capercaillie lek with closeup recording of all parts of the male display including infrasound parts as the flutterjumps and the "buzz" (28 Hz).

Uppland. April 17, 2025.
Zoom F3 + AudioTechnica BP4025

Clicks, Trill, Cork, Whetting, Flutterjumps and Infrasound

Field sound recordist and archivist of vanishing sounds in natural Iandscapes. Highly commended in the Sound of the Year Awards 2024 - Best Natural Sound.

Grouse

Bo Söderström