Maybe I am not all that observant, but I rarely see a Ruffed Grouse in display. Although it presumably happens a few times a year, I have seen it only about once every four years.
A display involves a male with a spread ruff around the neck and a spread tail. It is usually used to persuade a female, but not always. These pictures show three at four year intervals.
The first sighting did not involve a female. It was in October (2014) and as far as I could tell, was an exercise in displaying dominance among younger males.
The second display was in late March (2018) and there was a female being enticed.
The third display was this morning (mid-February 2022) and a female was seen there during the day. (It may have been a practice in that it is a month and a half earlier than the previous shot taken in late March.) There was a spread tail, but it was substantially hidden by trees. However, it does look a little different: the ruff completely enclosed the head, and it was of a substantially lighter hue.
…ruffled feathersâť—
Fancy schmancy strutter…and boomer soon too..thanks, Alistair!
Beautiful and under-appreciated birds. Thanks!
Beautiful photos. Interesting observations.
Wow! Great capture and so interesting!
Beautiful photos Alistair-We have grouse outside our Condo-we counted 26 one morning. Appeared to be more than one family! Thanks for sharing!