The lekking season of black grouse starts in early spring, comes in full swing in April, and ends in late May. Males compete for attention of females on meadows, clearings in the woods, and fields. It is easy to locate lekking birds thanks to their distinctive mating call that can travel 2-3km. A lek can be quite large, up to several dozen hectares. Black grouse start lekking before dawn and carry on till mid-morning.
Photos by Leonid Shcheglov
