Luca Melcarne's Image

Luca Melcarne (France) makes the most of his mountain guide skills to reveal the fascinating lives of Alpine animals.

Having spent the previous night at the foot of the slope, Luca awaited the arrival of the black grouse just before first light. Correctly anticipating the best angle, he caught the grouse’s wings spread wide against the sunrise, with light filtering through their narrow bands of white.

With a skyward leap and a bubbling call, punctuated by a harsh hiss, the male black grouse vied for the attention of the surrounding females, performing on a traditional display arena known as a lek.