What the heck is a lek?
Males great bustards perform spectacular courtship displays, gathering at a ‘lek’ or small display ground to try to impress the females.
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A midwife was wakened in the middle of the night by a banging on her door. Not an unusual occurrence. What was strange was that she was blindfolded till she and the man reached their destination. Inside, she could see she was in a fine, wealthy house. When the babe was born, the man commanded her to throw it on the fire. Horrified, the midwife begged and pleaded, but he snatched the child from her and did the deed himself. Shaking, the midwife allowed herself to be led away, but she clipped a little fabric from the bed curtains as she went. With that, the magistrates were able to identify the owner as ‘Wild’ Will Darrell of Littlecote House. But it wasn’t the law that caught with Will; it was the ghost of the babe. One day when Will was riding across his estate he saw a vision of a burning baby. He was thrown from his horse – and that was the end of him!
Males great bustards perform spectacular courtship displays, gathering at a ‘lek’ or small display ground to try to impress the females.
The great bustard has a dignified slow walk but tends to run when disturbed, rather than fly.
The hen-bird on display at The Salisbury Museum was one of the last great bustards to be eaten in the town!