North Wales!
I arrived at my first birding location in North Wales - Esclusham Mountain in Denbighshire. This trig point marks its highest point of 457 meters above sea level. It was windy and cold, but the view was absolutely stunning. Esclusham Mountain has a good population of Red Grouse which breed on its slopes every year. As soon as I got out of the car I could hear the males calling, uttering their strange, bubbling 'Goback, goback, goback' call all the time. As I walked along the footpath they would run out from the heather before flying up and away, dropping back down soon after. This female Red Grouse ran across my path, closely followed by a male. The females plumage is more speckled than the males, to aid camouflage when they are sitting on the nest. Like other species of grouse, Red Grouse have downy feathers on their legs, an adaption to help them live in cold environments. During periods of snow coverage they will use their feet to di...