ML501911151

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Ruffed Grouse!!! This was a PHENOMENALLY close (lifer) encounter with a very special species for Indiana. I sincerely hope this isn’t the only Ruffed Grouse I see here in my lifetime. Jonathan and I shared the experience with our buds, Kris and Logan Lakins, and coincidentally, three other birders (Mona C., Chris N., and Jeremiah O.). No planned “field trip.” We spent over 2 hours searching the area for the grouse without luck. We were already on the road when Jeremiah messaged he had it, and then we turned around and rushed back up the path on foot. The lapse in time between calling off the search and heading back to the location was about 20 minutes. The experience was breathtaking — and not for the running/speed-walking! Description… Brighter rufous coloration on the tail and neck. Thick black subterminal stripe on a long tail. Vertical black barring on its sides with white between. Chestnut eyes with super cool “eyelashes.” Gorgeous bird in general. The most ornately spangle-patterned brown back I’ve ever seen. Looking closely, there were little cream-colored hearts on its back. Black feathers around the long neck feathers that looked like a flattened ruff. Size-wise, it was surprisingly bigger than I thought it would be; bigger than a Bobwhite. It was remarkably camouflaged from a distance. I believe the bird we saw to be a male due to the unbroken black stripe on its long tail. Behavior… When we saw the Ruffed Grouse, it was walking on the forest floor about 15 feet away from us. It stayed flightless the entire time. It frequently called quietly, making some “pew” calls in twos and threes and single cat-like purrs (whuuuut!). The bird perched on a fallen log to watch us before approaching; it got within two feet of our group while we stood quietly in place at the forested edge. The Brown County Epic, a mountain-biking event, was happening while we were there, so two to three cyclists would occasionally pass by and spook the grouse further back into the woods. We didn’t even need our binoculars. Unbelievable. It played Inspector Jacques Clouseau with us and every now and again would grab and yeet leaves. I’m honestly flabbergasted by the inquisitiveness of this bird. Habitat… mature forest with mixed hardwoods. I noticed lots of tulip poplars, shagbark hickory, and maples and plenty of debris/bark on the ground and understory. My tree ID is limited, though. Our observation was from a stationary position. I made brief descriptive notes on my phone in the field and typed up more details later that evening. Our time was spent solely with the grouse, hence the low count for other species. I logged others earlier while searching (https://ebird.org/checklist/S120204215). The grouse experience filled my cup, so to speak, so much so that I didn’t go birding again for days. The rabbit hole of learning more about this species kept me delightfully occupied. This checklist was hidden from output for a month, honoring the request of the person who relocated the/a previously reported grouse and shared the information confidentially. I didn’t make the rules.

Technical information

Dimensions

2605 pixels x 1865 pixels

Original file size

2.54 MB