Fighting dance

Simon King is up early to watch black grouse males call and display on their traditional display grounds at dawn. In spring and summer the males fight over their mini-territories - and as they return here every morning, they may fight the same neighbour every day. they peck and kick, targeting the red wattles. This is an increasingly rare sight in Britain now. Black grouse are not doing very well – perhaps as a result of wet springs and summers. These are not good for ground-nesting birds as their soaked chicks get chilled and die.