Black Grouse Lekking 3

So I spent last night in a tent hide in the middle of a muddy hayfield. I went there around midnight, it was QUIET and pitch dark. I did put up the tent while it was still light.
It was +5°C, slight wind.
Tried to get some sleep, maybe I dozed off for few minutes at a time but then I woke up again, the cold was radiating from the ground. Before I left home I watched a horror movie The Thaw (a terrible movie, but it involved tenting and wildlife(bugs)), so maybe it didn't help the sleep either...
I put up my phone to wake me up at 5 a.m. the latest.

Didn't need the alarm. At 3.45 a.m. the nature's alarm went off, the birds' noises were SO LOUD. I didn't recognize the smaller birds, but then I heard the voice I was waiting for: the bubbling black grouses, and it was LOUD too! It sounded like they were quite close to me, but it was still so dark that I couldn't recognize them when I looked from the peak holes. I decided to "rest" and listen the birds doing their ceremony in the dawning day.

Slowly it was getting little brighter and I tried to take the first shots. Apparently, it was still too dark for my camera, at 5 a.m. It started to rain. The rain paused at time to time, and I immediately stuck my lense through the peaking hole and started to shoot, hoping I wouldn't scare those cocks away. It started to rain again, more heavily. I was so mad, hearing those great birds so close fighting but not able to shoot them.

Finally just before 7 a.m. the rain paused for good, and I got my chance. Even one female came around once, but mostly it was the 7 cocks that were fighting, it went on and on 'til I peaked from the tent door at around 7.45 a.m. (my legs were numb, and even us ladies need the toilet sometimes...).

It was amazing, I was about 50m away, but I'm glad I got this opportunity. Maybe next time I'll get closer, and the weather and light will be more pleasing.

Until then, I'll cherish this rare moment for a city girl.

I'll try to put some more pics later in Flickr.

In Blipfoto:
Black Grouse Lekking 1
Black Grouse Lekking 2