I have a confession – I have yet to see a Black Grouse in the flesh, (or in the feathers as the case may be). I’ve been to a few places where I’ve had the opportunity to see one, but due to ill timing I’ve so far been unsuccessful.
However, I know a considerable amount about them from ‘armchair birding’ at home and have seen plenty of footage of their strange mating ritual – lekking. Lekking is sort of a cross between a posturing dance, and well, rugby for want of a better description. The males sport impressive black and white plumage, with a red crest called a wattle, and they vie off against each other in an effort to impress the females, all the while calling with a strange bubbling noise. It’s a bit like St Mary Street in Cardiff on a Saturday night ..come to think of it..
Image - black grouse by Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Black grouse, or ‘y rugiar ddu’ in Welsh, are in trouble and during the 90’s their population in Wales was declining towards extinction, with numbers of lekking males reaching a low of 126 in 1997. Their numbers continue to decline to this day, and as a consequence the birds have a place on the UK Red List of conservation species, and are listed as a priority species on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP).
In response, RSPB Cymru is working in partnership with a range of organisations and private landowners to address the key issues affecting upland biodiversity, and part of the work was funded by Black Grouse Whisky. This partnership approach has been working since 1997 across Mid and North Wales to manage habitats for wildlife and rural/forestry businesses, and to monitor the changes in the fortunes of our key species, particularly black grouse.
A partnership between the RSPB and Black Grouse Whisky may at first glance have seemed an unlikely combination, (then again who doesn’t appreciate a drop after a great day outdoors to warm up?) but it’s one of our most successful and important partnerships.
To date we (RSPB Cymru) have received over £50,000 in donations from Black Grouse whisky, and several hundred pounds is raised every year from black grouse raffles and hampers that we run.
For the whiskey connoisseurs among you, the Black Grouse is a premium blended whisky containing peated malts, and is essentially a bigger and bolder member of the ‘Famous’ family of whiskies. It is rich and spicy on the palate, with hints of sweet liquorice, and a smokey finish. For the RSPB members among you, there is a money off voucher in the brand new issue of Nature’s Home, so why not treat yourself, or even get one as a Christmas present, and raise a wee dram to the future of the partnership, and the future of the black grouse.
Iechyd da!