Black grouse leks in the Alps
Black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) — 'tétras-lyre'. Northern Alps, Vercors, Hautes-Alpes, France.
Best time: 25 Apr – 25 May (April to May). Where: Réserve naturelle des Contamines-Montjoie, Hauts Plateaux du Vercors (Réserve naturelle), Parc national de la Vanoise (guided only) (France). Time of day: In place in full dark.
- Partly on your own
- Free
- Telescope recommended
- Sound 4/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
Peak: 25 Apr – 25 May. Late April to late May
Active from 10 Apr to 10 Jun (April to June) in a typical year.
Time of day
In place in full dark; display from about 45 min before sunrise to 2 h after, then the cocks disperse; a shorter evening lek in the hour before sunset.
- Dawn lek: 45 min before sunrise → 2 h after sunrise
- Evening lek: 1 h before sunset → sunset
What will you hear?
Bubbling 'rookooing' and hissing from males on snow patches at the treeline, ring ouzels, water pipits, and meltwater.
Binoculars?
Telescope recommended. Sit 150 m off in cover at first light; a scope makes the display, binoculars are the minimum.
Where to go
- Réserve naturelle des Contamines-Montjoie — Haute-Savoie; the reserve runs lek outings in spring and closes sensitive zones ('zones de quiétude'). Map
- Hauts Plateaux du Vercors (Réserve naturelle) — Largest reserve in metropolitan France; lek zones are signposted with seasonal closures. Map
- Parc national de la Vanoise (guided only) — Park rangers run 'tétras-lyre' mornings; ask at the Maisons du Parc. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
Public trails are free but lek sectors are closed or signposted as quiet zones in spring: Contamines-Montjoie (Asters) and the Hauts Plateaux du Vercors mark them — respect the closures, walk up in the dark, sit 150 m off in cover and leave after the birds. Vanoise: the park runs 'tétras-lyre' mornings from the Maisons du Parc.
Cost: Free; reserve and park guided mornings when offered (check current prices).
Free or no-guide alternative: Free from the public trails of the Hauts Plateaux du Vercors outside the signposted lek closures — arrive in full dark from the Col de Rousset or Corrençon car parks.
Who runs access
- Parc national de la Vanoise – ranger 'tétras-lyre' mornings (park authority) — Ask at the Maisons du Parc in spring.
Field-recording notes
Winter and spring disturbance is the main threat to Alpine black grouse: ski areas mark 'zones de tranquillité' and the reserves close lek sectors — respect them, arrive in the dark, leave after the birds. Capercaillie leks (Jura, Pyrenees, Vosges) are strictly protected and not a visitor target. A static rig placed at dusk and collected late morning is the low-impact method.
Sources
Similar spectacles
Capercaillie and black grouse leks in the eastern forestsCapercaillie's clicking, cork-pop and grinding song from pine bog edges, wing-beats of cocks flying in, black grouse bubbling on the open bogs; cranes, whooper swans and Tengmalm's owl in the same nights.
Black grouse leksBubbling 'rookooing' from displaying males, hissing 'tchu-wee' sneezes and flutter jumps; curlew and snipe often in the same soundscape.
Capercaillie and black grouse — the ones you do not visitThe capercaillie's accelerating clicks, 'cork-pop' and grinding — a very quiet song (audible to ~200 m) that is almost never recorded in Germany without a permit. Black grouse bubbling in the Alps.
Black grouse leks in the Alps and JuraBubbling 'rookooing' rolling across a snow-patched alpine meadow from several cocks, sneezing 'tchu-shwee' hisses, wing-flutter jumps; ring ouzel and water pipit around them; cowbells not yet arrived.
Black grouse leks above the treelineBubbling 'rookooing' and explosive hisses from several cocks on a snow-patched clearing, wing-flutter jumps, ring ouzel and ptarmigan croaks; cowbells arrive later in the season.
Black grouse leks above the treelineBubbling 'rookooing' and explosive hissing from several cocks at once on a snow-patched clearing, ring ouzel and water pipit around them; capercaillie 'cork-pop' song from the forest edge in the same weeks.
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