Thursday, March 02, 2006

house grouse

I'm afraid to walk out my front door right now. Well, not so much afraid, but I don't want to disturb what's out there. Two ruffed grouse are sitting in the branches of the black cherry tree next to the cookshed door. I went out the back door to take a leak, and two more flushed from the spruce tree by the bird feeder. We are surrounded!

I first was made aware of them when Starflower, Mr. Attitude and I were walking to the house from the car, after picking Starflower up from Girl Scouts. As I approached the house I felt, not heard, an explosion of wingbeats. I happened to look up in the black cherry tree and I saw a branch swaying where there was no breeze. Then, in a higher branch, I saw the motionless form of another grouse. I tried to get a picture, but the camera would not focus in the low light.

Ah, the everyday gifts of living here.

5 comments:

robin andrea said...

Quite exciting, even without the photograph. Very cool grouse news.

Anonymous said...

grouse are cool- and a bit wacky. I have a friend who has one follow her around her property often, acting like a tame bird. They really get nutty once breeding season begins- we've moved strutting males of roadways more than once because they were SO intent on enticing a female.
Must be a male thing ;)
The gifts of living in the wild are many- thanks for sharing this one.

Endment said...

We have chosen to stay inside for similar reasons. Isn't it wonderful to have such visitors to your yard!

R.Powers said...

No grouse here...mind you, I'm not grousing about it, but it would be neat to see/hear one.
I guess I'll have to be content with the redheaded woodpecker pounding away on my door right now.Birdbrains...you gotta love em.

Anonymous said...

Here at our farm, there's a lone grouse that often sits among the branches of a particular Scotch Pine along the trail that I walk each day. It never fails to blast off with a whir of wings just as I come up beside the tree. Despite me knowing that it will be there, some days it catches my dog and I off guard and gives us a start. What I find amazing is that it hasn't (as yet) knocked itself out on a tree while in flight as it seems almost reckless. However, it does appear to be quite agile as it tilts side to side while gliding between the close-spaced trees, so it's probably in better control of things than it looks. -bev