I COULD BE ENTERTAINED for all the rest of my days without moving from my chair here, looking out the four windows within my view. Yesterday’s performer: a male ruffed grouse in the magnolia by the kitchen window, just walking along the horizontal branches like they’d lead him where he wanted to go. The snapshot was taken through glass and a window screen, so not so detailed, but fun, anyhow, no? I hope he intends to drum his wings from a log in the nearby woods this spring and find a girlfriend. (Have you ever heard that sound?) I added a video to the jump page:
Categoriesbird sh-t
Cool!
Have neither heard the sound nor seen the bird – but what a delightful cartoon-style creature.
WOW! Thanks for sharing
Beautiful shot! I never see much of them except a flurry of feathers when they fly up nearby. We scared up 3 of them while on a walk in our woods last weekend.
Took this picture with my phone the other day – I thought it was a partridge, but maybe it was a grouse? http://instagr.am/p/o1Qz7/
Hi, Shira. Yes, it’s a ruffed grouse — probably a male (hard to tell from the Instagram but if it was more reddish-brown than grayish-brown, it’s a he). The partridges are a little smaller and don’t have the crested head like this guy. He’s about 17 inches long. Maybe they’re trying to tell us something!
How absolutely wonderful!! I also am lucky to have such window viewing/picture taking joy. Wish I could send you the photo of over 50 goldfinches and 10 cardinals when the last big snow came. It’s a Deo Gratias event.
I have been in Dutchess county for 21 years w/o seeing or kicking up a Ruffed Grouse & i’m surrounded by woods & grown over apple fields….for that matter, i haven’t seen a woodcock either…
Yes I have heard that sound and am lucky to own a few acres of untouched wooded land and a small pond. All the animals are special and have brought alot of joy to sometimes a very dreary day.
What a great picture!! Know it’s a Ruffed Grouse, but we used to call them Partridge back in the 50s when my Dad hunted them in Columbia County. Tell Dennis to keep listening just about dark. Woodcock are returning early this year and will be doing their mating flights soon.
I don’t want to count the minutes (hours?) I have spent gazing out the window at the birds. Presently I have a small red fox on the edge of our field…. really hard to get anything done !
Really enjoying these posts
thank you Dale
Thank you, Dale, and I know: all I feel like I do is stare outside. (Could be worse things to do with one’s life, I suppose.) No fox here at the moment, but last summer: wow. A really big adult male. Gorgeous. Love them.