Hazel Grouse is back on the menu!

In my last post on Hazel Grouse I wrote about how “my” reliable and easily accessible pair had vanished with my last sighting in the early spring of 2024. I have only visited the area a few times since then but have drawn a blank each time but have always had high hopes that I would find birds again as I consider the habitat to be absolutely perfect for the species. Getting a bit tired of searching for Jack Snipe and Pygmy Owl yesterdy I wanted a change of scenery and a walk in the forest and decided to head for the Hazel Grouse area. The forest is dead silent this winter with NO finches of any description and even tits are hard to come by. It therefore brought a huge smile to my face when I heard the thin whistle of a male HG. And it was in exactly the same trees where I have had many close encounters with “my” pair. With it being close to two years since my last sighting here I naturally assumed that this was a new pair that had taken over this prime piece of real estate but they were a very confiding pair allowing me to stand under them and noisily crunch around in the snow (this was behaviour that the previous pair displayed but which I do not otherwise associate with the generally shy species). I then checked my photos and the male lacks an obvious red eyebrow exactly as the previous male did and the female has a particularly dark throat as the previous female did. So, are they same birds that have just evaded me for all this time? Is one of them the same and has brought a new mate back to the territory or are they both new birds? I guess we can never know for sure but if they hang around through the spring then their behaviour and especially how close they allow me to approach will give some strong indications.

Today, Thursday, I paid another visit and found the male feeding on the ground. He allowed such close approach that I am feeling quite confident that it is my boy.

Most importantly it looks like I may be able to add Hazel Grouse back onto my list of highly likely species for guiding 😊

male Hazel Grouse (jerpe)

and the female. Her dark throat can be seen better in the video below