Winter arrived early this year, and unlike such occasions in the past decade, she has decided to stay. The temperatures have been consistently below freezing since Thanksgiving and it has actually taken me by surprise. Firewood that might normally have been stacked by now is stuck under persistent snow cover and my snowblower has already seen some action. For years and years this sort of thing might not have happened until after Christmas.
Naturally, my attention turns to the forests and the animals that live there. Raccoons and bears deal with this sort of weather by curling up for a long nap. Chipmunks and woodchucks do the same, but only after retreating underground for the duration of the cold. But then there are those species that must find a way to endure. Wild turkeys and white-tailed deer must continue to search for food and do not have the option of going to sleep. Owls, believe it or not, are just starting to think about their breeding seasons, and the mice and voles that they rely on for food are a little harder to find now that there is snow on the ground. It looks like it is going to be a rough winter.
And then there is the ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus). I introduced you to this species last week and found myself with so much to say that it warranted a follow-up. This bird is roughly (sorry about the pun) the size of a football and it can reasonably be compared to a chicken. It is a bird that is very comfortable walking on the ground and it often carries itself with a very upright posture. It also happens to be extremely beautiful.
The feathers of the ruffed grouse are exquisitely colored in a way that can allow an individual to virtually disappear against the backdrop of the leaves on the forest floor. This is a particularly useful ability for females that have to sit on nests that are located on the ground. A female roughed grouse may lay up to 15 eggs in a nest that is described as a “deep hollow” that is often lined with feathers. A female can only lay one egg per day, so this means that the first egg she lays may have to sit, hidden from view, for up to two weeks. When she finally starts incubating, it takes another three weeks for the eggs to hatch. That’s a long time for eggs to sit on the ground.
The chicks (like baby chickens) are precocial, which means that they are ready to get up and move around just hours after they escape the confines of their eggshells. This explains the longer incubation time. Female grouse do not feed their offspring, so all they can do is lead their brood around and bring them to places where appropriate food can be found. This generally means that they are led away from the deeper parts of the forest that might be best for nesting and toward areas of denser undergrowth, such as forest edges. Ruffed grouse rely on a wide range of habitats at different parts of the year.
The chicks will grow quickly on a diet of insects and other small invertebrates, but such protein-rich foods will start to disappear as the weather turns cold. By the time the snow flies they must shift to a diet of seeds and berries, which is fairly predictable for our winter birds. What is unusual is the fact that they also dine heavily on leaf buds. This sends the birds up into the branches of the trees of the forest, where the buds can be found. It is a difficult diet to live on, but ruffed grouse have amazing digestive systems that can handle tough buds that are also filled with chemical deterrents. This makes grouse highly dependent on large tracts of mature forest for their winter fare.
So, before I run out of room again I really do have to get to that story I promised to tell. It was April 20, 2014 and I was visiting my parents in Amherst. This was a big family gathering and my brother brought his family down from Maine for the occasion. It was a beautiful day, so we decided to go for a walk on a nearby rail trail. We all got out of our cars and started to make our way along the narrow pavement when we suddenly found ourselves the object of intense interest.
There were many people out on this splendid morning and that made the presence of a female ruffed grouse especially curious. Males have patches of shiny black feathers on their necks that can be deployed is such a manner that they resemble the high decorative collars seen in the clothing of both men and women during the 16th century. These were called, “ruff collars,” hence the name of the ruffed grouse.
Anyway, there was a female grouse that was loitering at the side of the rail trail and she seemed extraordinarily friendly. Rather than running away from people, she seemed drawn to them and when we stopped she actually approached within reach. No one touched her, nor did anyone show the slightest aggression toward her, but we did take turns getting down on our knees and saying “hello.” It was during such a moment that I was able to snap today’s photo, which clearly illustrates that astounding camouflage I mentioned earlier. You can also see her sharp beak, which is equipped with a bit of a curve; perfect for plucking leaf buds off of branches. I feel safe describing this as a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. I’m still smiling just thinking about it.
So that’s it for another week. I hope that you are able to stay warm and comfortable while winter puts on a show for us all and I hope that you are happily enjoying the holiday season. While many of us are feasting on special dishes and holiday delicacies, it might be interesting to keep the ruffed grouse in the backs of our minds. While the wind is blowing and the temperatures linger below freezing, the birds will be up in the treetops searching for their own morsels. I think I prefer Christmas cookies and coffee to a diet that consists of something similar to raw Brussels sprouts.
Bill Danielson has been a professional writer and nature photographer for 28 years. He has worked for the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, the Nature Conservancy and the Massachusetts State Parks and he currently teaches high school biology and physics. For more information visit his website at www.speakingofnature.com, or go to Speaking of Nature on Facebook.