How/Where to see Capercaillies (1 Viewer)

Hi,
I am off to Scotland for a week end of May/start of June and just realised that the Caper watches at Loch Garten usually only go on to 21st May (before we will be there). Obviously the bird's needs come first but where else can I hope to see Capers without disturbing them. Of course I am willing to get up at 5 in the morning if it means seeing one!
Thanks,
Tom

It could be tricky. While some display may carry on that late, looking for lek sites yourself is not really an option, due to schedule 1 protection. Hens will be incubating/hatching eggs at that time.

The only possibility might be to see if a reputable wildlife tourism guide can take you to a site where birds can be viewed without disturbance (e.g. from a vehicle). This was also suggested on this other thread:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=824984#post824984

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Capers are often in view from the main Osprey hide at Loch Garten, so you don't need to go to the special watches. Mind you, they get trickier as the season progresses. No idea what time the hides open though, and early am is definitely your best bet. I suspect you'll need to get there by 5 rather than up by 5 though!

Hi
looks like im going up at exactly the same time as you, fingers crossed for capercaillie.
Mat

teamsaint said:

Hi,
I am off to Scotland for a week end of May/start of June and just realised that the Caper watches at Loch Garten usually only go on to 21st May (before we will be there). Obviously the bird's needs come first but where else can I hope to see Capers without disturbing them. Of course I am willing to get up at 5 in the morning if it means seeing one!
Thanks,
Tom

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Have you checked by email as to Loch Garten, last year when we were up in May I emailed them before hand to get the dates they were starting and finishing them.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/l/lochgarten/index.asp

Yes its an early start but worth it, but may I say what a lot of arrogant,ignorant people seemed to be on the day I went. It turned out more like a rugby scrum..people hogging the front views and not wishing to give them up and getting pushed out the way by men whose be all and end all seemed to be seeing a glimpse of them. I was pushed out of the way by a man and ended up hurting the small of my back

teamsaint said:

Of course I am willing to get up at 5 in the morning if it means seeing one!
Thanks,
Tom

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I'm afraid it needs to be more like 3am in May in Scotland. A few years ago I spent many an ungodly early hour looking for them around Red Lodge. Good luck...
Sean

seanofford said:

I'm afraid it needs to be more like 3am in May in Scotland. A few years ago I spent many an ungodly early hour looking for them around Red Lodge. Good luck...
Sean

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Viewing from the hide at Loch Garten doesn't start until 5.30. Must be possible at that time, surely?

Helenelizabeth2 said:

Viewing from the hide at Loch Garten doesn't start until 5.30. Must be possible at that time, surely?

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The hens tend to visit the leks just before dawn (say 5am), so that is when the peak of display activity occurs. However it is still quite dark then, so difficult to see anything. The males usually carry on with some display until 7am or 8am, and I have even heard them displaying as late as 10am on one occasion.

People who monitor leks from portable hides try to get into position by 3am at the latest, because it is impossible to approach the lek any later than that without disturbing the birds.

The lek that I monitor covers a large area and all the birds cannot be observed from one location, so we monitor it partly from a landrover and partly on foot. As this results in more disturbance than using a hide, the vehicle survey usually doesn't take place until about 6am, and the foot search at about 7am. This means we miss the peak of display activity, but the males are still in position and can be counted accurately, and we avoid the risk of disrupting mating. We also usually only make one visit in the third week of April (peak period) to minimise disturbance.

Please remember though that capercaillie lek sites are protected from disturbance by law, and can only be knowingly approached if you are covered by a schedule 1 licence. The Loch Garten viewing scheme was set up to reduce the temptation for people to go off and look for leks elsewhere.


Edit - the picture in my avatar was taken at about 6.15am - this bird was still in full display, although other males nearby were less enthusiastic

teamsaint said:

Hi,
I am off to Scotland for a week end of May/start of June and just realised that the Caper watches at Loch Garten usually only go on to 21st May (before we will be there). Obviously the bird's needs come first but where else can I hope to see Capers without disturbing them. Of course I am willing to get up at 5 in the morning if it means seeing one!
Thanks,
Tom

Click to expand...

While you're driving through the forest/villages just keep your eyes (or your passenger's!) on the forest edges. We've been lucky a couple of times and seen a bird this way from the main road. And in the middle of the day too - as this occurred early on in the holiday it took pressure off having to get up to go to the Loch Garten hide.

Sandra

Good luck on viewing Capercaillies as they're my favorite bird as well, and hope you get lovely pics of them

Thanks for the info everyone, is there a chance of finding one around Abernethy Forest during the day then?

teamsaint said:

Is there a chance of finding one around Abernethy Forest during the day then?

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You have just as much chance of seeing them from the Loch Garten hide during the day as you would if you walked through Abernethy Forest in May. Don't expect brilliant views though, they are usually very distant even during the early morning watches.
If you do decide to walk through the forest please don't leave the main tracks as birders thrashing through the heather caused serious problems for the birds before the RSPB set up the early morning watches, you may even find some of the roads leading into the forest closed off to protect the breeding birds.
And another word of warning, buy an OS map if you intend to walk the forest. If the river is high you may have to back-track to find your way out and without a map one wrong turn could put another 2 hours on your walk! It's a fabulous place and one of the most peaceful places on earth although it can appear totally devoid of wildlife at times. Go there by all means but don't expect to see Capers.


Dave J