A Couple of Surprises

Daphne and I took to the bush today to try and get out 5 miles per day in. On one of the trails, Daphne put up this Roughed Grouse and it perched right beside me in a tree.

We also came across a herd of about 15 Elk. I could not get a shot through the bush, so we moved down the road and waited for them to cross. I guessed to crossing point quite well. They came single file, in a hurry.

We also found a few geese in the slough.

All in all, not a bad day in the bush!

It is time. Alberta's flower, the wild rose

Just creeping through the bush.

Getting the old stink eye. There must be chicks around somewhere!

Partridge

Finally, the Ruffed Grouse was co-operative. This one was having a bad hair day, or, she saw me.

This was pretty good camouflage on a gravel bed. 

Just striding along!

With a little "swish"

The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is non-migratory. It is the only species in the genus Bonasa.

The ruffed grouse is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a "partridge", an unrelated phasianid, and occasionally confused with the grey partridge, a bird of open areas rather than woodlands.^[2]

The ruffed grouse is the state bird of Pennsylvania, USA.

These chunky, medium-sized birds weigh from 450–750 g (0.99–1.65 lb), measure from 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in) in length and span 50–64 cm (20–25 in) across their short, strong wings.^[9] Ruffed grouse have two distinct morphs, grey and brown. In the grey morph, the head, neck and back are grey-brown; the breast is light with barring. There is much white on the underside and flanks, and overall the birds have a variegated appearance; the throat is often distinctly lighter. The tail is essentially the same brownish grey, with regular barring and a broad black band near the end ("subterminal"). Brown-morph birds have tails of the same color and pattern, but the rest of the plumage is much more brown, giving the appearance of a more uniform bird with less light plumage below and a conspicuously grey tail. There are all sorts of intergrades between the most typical morphs; warmer and more humid conditions favor browner birds in general.

Displaying male

The ruffs are on the sides of the neck in both sexes. They also have a crest on top of their head, which sometimes lies flat. Both genders are similarly marked and sized, making them difficult to tell apart, even in hand. The female often has a broken subterminal tail band, while males tend to have unbroken tail bands, though the opposite of either can occur. Females may also do a display similar to the male. Another fairly accurate sign is that rump feathers with a single white dot indicate a female; rump feathers with more than one white dot indicate a male. (Wikipedia)

Ruffed Grouse in the Willows

A warm day and lots of willow buds to munch on.

The Ruffed Grouse

I caught this little guy while driving along a county road in a light snow/drizzle.

She was not shy and just kept working her way along the bush line, enjoying another mild day.

I am not sure what she was eating

 She was in no hurry to get off the clearing.

 They have many names from, Ruffed Grouse, to Partridge, to Fool's Hen (also applied to Spruce Hens) to last but not least "Chicken"

Wildlife Walk

I decided to continue looking for an active beaver pond. Alas, the pond on the Heustis Forest trail was empty. Someone from the County was in with a clam digger and got rid of the beaver dam and lake. Why they would do that is beyond me. It used to be full of ducks, beavers and other wild life. End of rant!

 To make up for it, sort of, I found a Whisky Jack or Gray Jay, or Camp Robber. The link below gives some interesting info on them.

 http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/columnists/story.html?id=eb430142-1fcb-4cd5-bcf5-ea80fa876477

 In the fall if you are out and about, a fire draws them like a magnet. They are quite tame, hence the name Camp Robber. I have had them land on my shoulder and peck at my hat when hunting.

The Partridge or as we know it "chicken" is also quite tame  and also very tasty.

Then, of course, what would a walk in the bush be like without a Red Squirrel or two chattering at you.

I was hoping to run across a bear, but no such luck. I have an agreement with them. "I don't hunt bears, and they don't hunt me." Just as well I didn't see any . I left my bear spray at home.

Soggy Thursday!

Hiding in the weeds

Ruffed Grouse

Bits and Pieces

This is what happens when you are a three year old visiting the Acreage. You build a nest in the middle of the floor and crash for three hours.

 On the way home today, I spotted the deer that has been at our salt lick all summer. This time she is in the second cut of alfalfa, enjoying a good snack until I came along

 Then there are her twins from this year, minus their spots. I could not get all three in the frame at one time.

Turning into the driveway I surprised a roughed grouse and her family of 7 chicks. The young ones are fast and disappeared into the brush before I could get a shot.

The chickens are starting to lay again. This shows a "normal" egg beside a not so normal egg and a penny for size comparison. I guess you can't fault a hen for trying! This has to be the smallest egg in three years!

The days are getting busy with the Men's Shelter being started (finally, after three years). The footings are poured.; the gravel spread; and the pony walls scheduled to be poured tomorrow. Being retired, so to speak, I get to volunteer labour against the construction grant. It keeps me busy and tired. Hopefully, I will get some pictures for the next blog.

For All You Wildlife Fans!

I was out walking the fenceline when I heard this wild clucking sound. This is the reason why I generally have a camera in my pocket.

This mother partridge (or Ruffed Grouse) was very, very upset with me for getting too close to her chicks.
I saw three chicks take off and fly for cover, but was unable to get pictures 'cause they were so fast. There were about the size of a cow bird, and really speedy!


The hen was bristling and would make a run at me, then try to get me to follow away from the direction the chicks went.

Finally, she flew into the tree and at that point I figured it was time to let her be.

She gave me a half hour of entertainment that you can't put a price tag on.