Close encounter with a Ruffed Grouse

 

Ruffed Grouse, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 23, 2023

Ruffed Grouse, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 23, 2023

Ruffed Grouse, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 23, 2023

Ruffed Grouse, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 23, 2023

Ruffed Grouse, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 23, 2023

Ruffed Grouse checking out my camera, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 23, 2023

Ruffed Grouse, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 23, 2023

Ruffed Grouse, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 23, 2023

My big reward for heading out this morning included a close encounter with a Ruffed Grouse in Quabbin Park (I also had some other highlights for the morning that will be included at the bottom of this post).  I stayed local once again as Wilson had an appointment to get his stiches out and I wanted to make sure I made it back with time to spare.  I ended up running across the very friendly Ruffed Grouse as I was near the end of my time in the park.  Initially I noticed him walking through the woods and got a few photos and then it started walking directly toward me as it fed.  It eventually walked right up to me and it got too close to use the big camera, so most photos and videos were done with my iPhone.  After a bit of time staying still admiring the grouse I started walking down the trail and the grouse followed along with me for a few hundred feet.  On my return back down the same trail the grouse rejoined me and once again stayed with me for a few hundred feet.  I have had this experience just a few times before and it was been several years since the last time.  There are a couple of theories to explain this behavior.  One is that the bird is being hyper territorial and the other is that it is a genetic throwback to a time before the birds developed a necessary fear of  humans (link to article here...thanks Mary).  It is a really cool experience to have this happen with what is typically a very wary species that you getting fleeting glimpses of (if you see it at all).

Links to videos (well worth watching in my opinion)

video 1

video 2

video 3

video 4

video 5

video 6

video 7

video 8

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 23, 2023

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 23, 2023

Gray Catbird, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 23, 2023

Eastern Towhee juvenile, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 23, 2023

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 23, 2023

Virginia Rail, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 23, 2023

Wood Ducks, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Jun 23, 2023

Mountain Laurel blooming, Quabbin Gate 8, Pelham, MA, Jun 23, 2023

Beyond the grouse I had some other good stuff for the morning including my first Virginia Rail fledglings of the year at Lake Wallace.  I noticed an adult that didn't seem to be moving much and seemed really fluffed up.  I suspected it was sitting over some young and after a lot of looking I caught a few glimpses of two tiny black fledglings (one video captured one for a brief moment...link to video here: Virginia Rail video).  I also had a quick look at a silent Marsh Wren as I was scanning for rails.  Lots of other evidence of breeding species at every stop I made over the course of the morning.  I also relocated the Cerulean Warbler singing a parula like song in the same area I discovered it yesterday.  There are now two singing Cerulean Warblers within Quabbin Park and hopefully I will able to find some evidence of breeding (See an earlier post regarding the history of Cerulean Warblers breeding at Quabbin Park at the following link).