Hidden away in some nature reserves of the German Alps lives the majestic Eurasian Black Grouse (Lyrurus tetrix). These birds are well adapted to the challenging conditions of this environment and are an interesting photographic subject due to their behavior and beautiful appearance.
A wildlife photography friend of mine (check out his website here for amazing shots and great content) recently told me about his hike to one of the nature reserves where these birds are regularly observed. He had found fresh footprints and droppings near the path but had unfortunately not seen any animal from up close. As he is quite an experienced wildlife photographer, I decided to follow his suggestions and went to scout the location a few days after he had told me about it. I also found some recent footprints and droppings, so they were still around in the area – awesome!
So I decided to give it a chance on the early morning of December 25th, figuring that not too many people will be out and my chances of encountering one of these beautiful animals might be higher. Moreover, the weather forecast predicted very few to no clouds that morning, so lighting conditions would be ideal. Sunrise on the 25th was around 08:30am, so I had to be there at 07:00 the latest in order to set everything up while it was still dark and the animals were asleep.
After the 350m ascent to the location under a truly breathtaking starry night sky and a cool breeze at the already cold -10°C, I arrived at the spot at around 06:30am. I immediately started setting up my camping mat, camouflage, etc. with me facing to the west so the sun would rise behind me. To my surprise, the first ski tourers of the day passed by just 5min after I had arrived to the spot while I was still setting up. They too wanted to catch the beautiful sunrise over the Alps on this morning. From the perspective of a nature enthusiast, I fully understand why they were already up the mountain that early. However, as a wildlife photographer this was not a best case scenario.
I finished preparations around 06:45/07:00am, put on a few layers of warm clothes and laid down waiting for sunrise and hopefully a Black Grouse sighting. Ideally I’d get a series of great shots before heading home…
While I was laying there, several more ski tourers passed by. With each one, I realized my chances of seeing and photographing a Black Grouse diminished. Nevertheless, I decided to stay and remain calm at least until sunrise. After about an hour, the first light of day made its way over the Alps behind me and a few minutes later the sun rose, bathing the snowy mountains in golden light. The beauty of this sunrise was truly mesmerizing.
Unfortunately, no Black Grouse made its way in front of my lens that morning. So at 08:45 I decided to pack my things and head back home for a hot cup of coffee and some breakfast, determined to return another day. By the time I started packing my camping mat and other stuff back into my backpack I realized just how cold it was. Despite wearing gloves, my fingers were basically frozen and it took me quite some time to get my stuff organized. On my way down, I met a few more ski tourers, each of which asked me what I was up to carrying such a big camera around. Just when I got tired explaining for the 10th time that I was up the mountain early in the morning to photograph Eurasian Black Grouses, I encountered a group of ski tourers that told me they had seen some the other day further down the trail. What great news! Next time I’d come back I would not need to hike up 350m in the middle of the night.
So stay tuned for part 2 of the hunt for the Eurasian Black Grouse – hopefully with a great shot of this evasive animal!