Red grouse (1 Viewer)

[condor1992]

I am interested in seeing the red grouse somewhere with my camera. Black grouse and capercaillie are beyond my reach for my now (especially the latter), but a distribution map shows that red grouse does occur in Wales. Does anyone know any reliable areas for them?
I have heard the moors at World's End near Wrexham are good, but is that place managed for shooting and, if so, when does shooting occur there? Don't really want to visit at that time

 

[jogresh]

I am interested in seeing the red grouse somewhere with my camera. Black grouse and capercaillie are beyond my reach for my now (especially the latter), but a distribution map shows that red grouse does occur in Wales. Does anyone know any reliable areas for them?
I have heard the moors at World's End near Wrexham are good, but is that place managed for shooting and, if so, when does shooting occur there? Don't really want to visit at that time

Yes, Worlds End is (or at least was) managed as a Red Grouse shoot, and is a fairly good place to see them. It has (or had) fairly heavy predator control in addition to habitat work. The knock-on effect of this is that there's a significant population of Black Grouse too, one of the few - perhaps the only - site in Wales where this species is holding its own. I don't know when shooting takes place there, or even if it does. If you visit Worlds End, the southern end of the road is better for Red Grouse.
Away from this site, Red Grouse is tricky, Gors Maen Llwyd at the north end of Llyn Brenig can sometimes be successful but not always. They're generally distributed very thinly in Snowdonia, for example.
One area that probably has a decent population is the Berwyns, it's an area i am totally unfamiliar with - and i think it is also managed as a shoot.

 

[Farnboro John]

I'd positively recommend going outside the shooting season - early spring maybe, before breeding gets going. In other places (I've no experience of World's End) Red Grouse can be very confiding when not being driven and shot at. I mean photos at a few yards without using the car as a hide, though if you can then that is a great technique as well.

John

 

[Owene]

I've had Red Grouse very close to the car at worlds end, the wrexham end well before the black grouse lek.

There are some in south wales as well, the blorenge is probably the best place for them (although still difficult) but they are present in small numbers across the eastern beacons.

 

[delia todd]

I am interested in seeing the red grouse somewhere with my camera. Black grouse and capercaillie are beyond my reach for my now (especially the latter), but a distribution map shows that red grouse does occur in Wales. Does anyone know any reliable areas for them?
I have heard the moors at World's End near Wrexham are good, but is that place managed for shooting and, if so, when does shooting occur there? Don't really want to visit at that time

Yes, I was going to mentions Blorenge (beside Abergavenny).

Shooting starts on the 12 August (Glorious 12th is how it's often referred to) and runs until the 10th December.

 

[Mike Crawley]

I get up to World's End on an annual basis and tend to go late February or early March (March 8th last year, with Red Grouse within a metre or two of the road).
I have never missed out on Black Grouse there and (at a guess) 75% successful with Red Grouse.

 

[condor1992]

The problem is I do not have a car, and can only get there on pedals. Which will make seeing everything difficult, I assume. I know there is a black grouse lek there, but, without a car, they will be disturbed a mile off

 

[markm]

The problem is I do not have a car, and can only get there on pedals. Which will make seeing everything difficult, I assume. I know there is a black grouse lek there, but, without a car, they will be disturbed a mile off

If you want to combine pedaling and birding then Coed Llandegla mountain biking trail has a bird hide overlooking moorland with both grouse species present. They're not going to be close but I've seen both with bins.( me not the grouse).

​

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

When have you had success at Llandegla? (Season and time of day)?

 

[markm]

I've mountain biked at Llandegla 3 times over the last 15 years but I must admit I have no idea what time of year. Timing wise it would probably be late morning my the time we reached the hide and moorland area.

 

[condor1992]

Thanks for the advice, we'll see what I want more in the end- goshawks at TF, or red grouse at Llandegla