In last two days, I have watched two remarkably stealthy birds. These are not the frenetic little scaredy-cats that flit from branch to branch. These are the largish birds that move in a stately, even lethargic, manner. The two I watched were a Ruffed Grouse and a Great Blue Heron. Now, I suspect that the reasons for their measured paces differ. The grouse is probably trying to blend in so as to not attract predators; the heron is trying to blend in so as to avoid being spotted by its prey.
A Ruffed Grouse remains inconspicuous by moving slowly. However, against snow, it just cannot blend in.
When it moves into more salubrious surroundings, it can almost vanish, especially when seen from a distance. This appears to be the same female that was reported a month ago in replacement grouse.
The heron was observed to move even more slowly. It did move along the shallows, but would pause for long periods and slowly look around (presumably for fish).
On a few occasions, I obtained a view that might correspond to the last thing a fish, or a vole might see.
These are so inspiring. Fantastic shots!