Given that such a tiny population of unreliably visible black grouse is still present on the moors of Galloway, I travelled again to Teesdale on Monday to see some more of the birds which continue to hold out well in the north Pennines.

When I visited Teesdale in July, the majority of birds were moulting.

Unlike red grouse, who appear to moult continuously throughout the year, black grouse change their feathers all at once.

Like many species of duck, they enter an “eclipse” period in the height of mid-summer, which means they assume a totally different appearance and are unable to fly for a few days.

As a result, they stay close to dense cover, and while I saw several greyhens during my first visit, I didn’t see as many birds as I had hoped.

What a difference to visit them in mid October!

The small hamlet of Langdon Beck must be one of the best places in the country to see large numbers of black grouse, and within seconds of pulling up the car, I was looking at more than a dozen birds feeding in a field by the roadside.

The birds at Teesdale are doing so well thanks to support from the GWCT and the local farming community.

In addition to several other areas of support work, many fences and power lines are marked with plastic and metal tags to prevent black grouse from fatally colliding with them, and much has been done to minimise this risk.

It seems that the large birds fly so quickly that they have some difficulty avoiding invisible obstacles like wires and sheep netting, and dozens of miles of stock and deer fencing have been removed over the past few years thanks to research by black grouse groups.

Considering fences and hidden obstacles may not be the ultimate key to protecting black grouse, but for a bird with so many small factors contributing to its downfall, attention to details like these are always going to be helpful.

The views expressed on Patrick Laurie's blog are the author's and not the views of Shooting Gazette, ShootingUK, IPC Media or its employees. www.gallowayfarm.wordpress.com

The black grouse blogger is spoilt for sport.

The summer birds have left the moor.

The long days of swallows, wheatears and cuckoos now seem like a very distant memory, but despite their absence, another change is in the air.

From the perspective of an avid game shooter, that change is very much for the better.

Along with the vast trilling packs of redwings, starlings and wheatears which descended a few weeks ago to strip the hawthorns, the first few wildfowl have started to drop in as if from nowhere.

Around the back of the farm, a low ditch runs between our property and the commercial forest to the west.

Walking with my rifle slung over my back yesterday morning, I disturbed a spring of six teal from that weedy trench, and they motored silently away into the distance like grey sparks.

If I had had my shotgun, I’d have had a fair chance of bringing at least one down, but my mind is still set to “summer”, and the wild ducks seemed like some kind of supernatural apparition.

Five miles away, down on the Solway, the pink footed geese have arrived.

Two small skeins pass over my house every evening, impossibly high but magical to hear.

I am told that barnacle geese are also flocking down on the merse, although it will take colder weather to bring them in as far as the grouse moor.

Even then, they will prefer to sit and yap on the ragged stubbles downhill, useless from a sporting perspective, but atmospheric in their way.

Woodcock too are starting to fall down from the skies, and with the October moon filling out, the trickle will soon become a torrent.

One by one, the wildfowl and game birds are coming back to Dumfries and Galloway, and it looks set to be another cracking season.

The views expressed on Patrick Laurie's blog are the author's and not the views of Shooting Gazette, ShootingUK, IPC Media or its employees. www.gallowayfarm.wordpress.com

There are so few red grouse on my moor that I can often go for a week at a time without seeing any.

I can certainly hear them calling in the evenings, and neat piles of droppings can be found behind many grassy tussocks, but really getting to know the birds is a difficult process when they are so scarce and uncooperative.

Hoping to explore the world of grouse in more depth, I gladly accepted an invitation to beat on a day’s grouse shooting 30 miles south-east of Edinburgh last week.

Having been told that a big bag was expected, I packed a sandwich and looked forward to learning what a real grouse moor looks like.

Within minutes of parking amongst the other beaters on a cold morning, I knew that I had entered the big leagues.

A constant din of cackling grouse rang through the low cloud, and distant birds emerged on every tussock to yammer and chuckle defiantly.

The day was organised with military efficiency.

For each drive, small teams of beaters were dispatched to various destinations, fanning out across the moor to converge again at precise intervals.

The hills were steep, and the other beaters raced over the heather like rabid cheetahs.

Within 100 yards, my stubby legs were aching.

Mountain hares periodically soared out of the grass, and stopping to admire them, I was scolded to “keep the line” by disciplined voices from the gloom above.

Grouse rose in mighty packs, turning strongly in the wind to race over the invisible butts.

Shots crackled emptily in the massive open space between the clouds and the bog, then the drives ended.

It was a cycle repeated five times during the day, and towards the end, I think my legs became partially and irreparably detached from my body.

Driving home in the dark, the sound of cackling grouse echoed in my ears.

No wonder they’re called the “King of Game Birds”.

The views expressed on Patrick Laurie's blog are the author's and not the views of Shooting Gazette, ShootingUK, IPC Media or its employees. www.gallowayfarm.wordpress.com