Woodland Drummer

Meet Bonasa umbellus - the ruffed grouse.

There's a first for everything and this is the first time I've captured a photo of one of these on a trail camera.  Coincidentally, last week I roughed-out (pun intended) a trail from the house to the north property line and I spotted one of these ahead of me.  The dang bird wasn't the least bit concerned about the man driving the big, blue clattering diesel tractor with a clanking brush mower.  It walked out of the way at its own leisurely pace.            

So that would be two birds (or the same bird twice) in one week.  Odd that I haven't heard any drumming this spring.            

In any event, this non-migrating woodland bird is not uncommon here on the peninsula.  Like woodcock it prefers young forest habitat and the aspen patch cuts we've performed over the years and the thickets of spruce are where it generally makes its home.

Surveys suggest that in the Great Lakes states there's approximately a 10-year population cycle for this bird. Grouse numbers typically arise in years that end in zero with the lowest numbers concentrated in years ending in five. 

The suppression of logging in the northernmost regions of Wisconsin have caused a decline in grouse habitat - negatively impacting grouse populations.  And West Nile Virus is a concern as this species is threatened by the mosquito-transmitted disease.  Seasonal hunting frameworks are designed to be sensitive to sustainable populations of grouse.        

About the drumming – the spring courtship ritual involves the male positioning himself on a preferred log, raising the feathers on his head, fanning his tail (like a turkey gobbler) and make a drumming sound with cupped wing beats.  It sounds remarkably like an outboard motor starting-up.       

This is a ground-nesting species and is why the dogs are kept on a lead during our daily walks for the duration of the primary nesting season.  Seeing more of them is encouraging.