I pulled up in a small car park in the North Pennines at an hour that was ungodly. Pulling on my boots in the early morning air, curlews and skylarks were singing thought the mist. With snipe drumming from the peaty ground, I made my way up the hill until I reached my allocated position. I was helping my colleagues at RSPB Geltsdale with their annual count of black grouse, one of the UKs most enigmatic species. Every spring, black grouse congregate in traditional sites to ‘lek’, a spectacular ritualised tournament where they compete for mating rights. Maintaining a respectful distance so as not to disturb the action, my binoculars gave me a clear view of an area of short grass into which four male grouse appeared as the sun came over the hill.