Live Capercaillie dust bath camera | RSPB Abernethy

This camera is looking on to a capercaillie dust-bath on RSPB Abernethy reserve. It is very occasionally visited by a female capercaillie and her brood of chicks, where they ‘bathe’ in the dust to rid themselves of ectoparasites (parasites which live on their feathers or skin). Though the capercaillie don’t visit it every day, this camera (and other trail cameras around capercaillie habitat) can give useful insights into capercaillie brood numbers and behaviours. There is a lot of habitat work going on at RSPB Abernethy and on other landholdings which have capercaillie, to improve the conditions for this extremely rare and vulnerable bird. Habitat restoration by restructuring forest plantations, cattle grazing on the field-layer vegetation, heather cutting in the forest and diversionary feeding of predators to reduce predation of capercaillie are some of the measures being used. This camera is funded by the Cairngorms Capercaillie Project. To find out more about the project visit