Black Grouse & Eurasian Pygmy Owl | Discovering the Animals of the Alps

The spectacle of black grouse performing their unusual courtship dance, known as lekking, against the snow white slopes of the French Alps, is topped only by finally tracking down a Eurasian Pygmy Owl - Europe's smallest owl and barely bigger than a coffee mug. To support my channel and my wildlife rehabilitation and conservation work, please donate here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=A52ZHAMJZC3J4 or join one of my supporter communities in exchange for behind the scenes content here: https://www.robertefuller.com/support_and_donate/ ANIMALS OF THE ALPS I have just returned from a trip to the Chamonix Valley, a spectacular region in the French Alps where I trekked through forests and over snow-covered slopes to uncover the regions more unusual wildlife. GUIDED TOUR To guarantee a sighting and to stay safe in these wild mountains I took a guided tour with Daniel Rodrigues of Chamonix Guides https://www.chamonix-guides.com/fr BLACK GROUSE A black grouse lek is one of the most spectacular mating dances and increasingly rare to see. I travelled to the Alps for the chance to film it and was rewarded with spectacular views of grouse fanning out their tails and side-stepping against the bright white of snow. EURASIAN PYGMY OWL Europe's smallest owl, this species is so elusive I trekked through acres of forest to find it. But when I did I was lucky enough to be able to record the sound of the pygmy owl's call. #pygmyowl #blackgrouse #robertefuller I am a British wildlife artist based in Thixendale, North Yorkshire, UK. I build ideal habitats to encourage wildlife into my garden and use nest cams to study their behaviour. These studies inform my paintings. I share the best of my video research on this channel for free. If you would like to support my work please consider a small donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=A52ZHAMJZC3J4 Or of course you may like to purchase my artwork which you will find on my website: https://www.robertefuller.com. Many of the paintings are portraits of the creatures you watch here! © Robert E Fuller Copyright Disclaimer: Please feel free to share my videos but do not download any content without permission with the intent to re-upload. If you would like to license any content, please get in touch with me at: [email protected] Stay Connected! You can also follow me on these platforms: Visit my website: https://www.robertefuller.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobertEFullerArt/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertEFuller Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RobertEFuller/