Spruce Grouse

[risingwolf]

A female Spruce Grouse in Glacier National Park. Taken with my 400L and I had to back up my truck to get far enough away. She was picking up gravel from the road. The male was strutting around in front of the other two females.

[David]

Dave - Nothing like a good grouse!! We don't have that variety in Scotland, but we make up for it by having the Famous Grouse - a whisky. Why do grouse eat gravel - I know that they do as my brother-in-law, who's a Sporting Manager on an estate in Scotland tells me so, but why eludes me.

The first shot is the better of the two, with sharpness evident not only from the plumage but the reflection in the bird's eye. What can be done with the second when the pesky creature turns away? Not a lot. However, from a documentary and ornithological PoV it does show the red splashes on the head and the layered tail feathers.

Cheers

David

[Stinky]

I believe they ingest gravel and keep it in their gullet. They then use it to grind the food that they eat. Great pictures. Used to see alot of grouse when I lived in Pennsylvania. Nithing like hearing a grouse's wingbeat when you are in the woods.