Up before dawn in North Wales, Jim and Nancy chase the balshy disco bird: the black grouse, hoping to witness the lek at last.

This episode of Painting Birds With Jim And Nancy Moir follows a heartfelt, funny, and hands-on quest across Denbighshire and Wrexham. Guided by local experts, they learn how leks work, why habitat variety matters, and how greylag geese can disrupt displaying males. Along the way they spot migrant chats, meadow pipits, and even witness a hen harrier’s skydance. Despite missed timings and fickle weather, the pair keep spirits high with sketchbooks, sponges, and plenty of bird banter.

Comic and keen artist Joe Pasquale hops off the vintage train to join for a day at Valley Crucis Abbey, where Jim builds a dramatic collage sketch while Joe experiments with dandelion “trees.” In Wrexham, local printmaker Philippa introduces them to lino cutting: from marking up with permanent pens and Indian ink washes to carving, inking, and the pressure-perfect pull. Results in hand, the trio compare notes on texture, tone, and happy accidents.

Back on the hill, a 4.30 a.m. start, a windswept hide, and patient scanning finally pay off. Jim and Nancy hear the bubbling call, glimpse that flash of white tail, and catch a distant black grouse on the heather. Jim returns to the studio to finish his bold bird portrait: scarlet wattle, glam-rock textures from salt and sponge, and strident geometry fit for a moorland dance floor.

If you love birdwatching, British uplands, and creative wildlife art, this episode blends fieldcraft with paint, print, and plenty of laughs.

#BlackGrouse #NorthWales #Birdwatching #WildlifeArt #JoePasquale #HenHarrier #Wrexham #LinoCut