Drumming Ruffed Grouse

Another sure sign of spring on the North Shore is the drumming of the male ruffed grouse. He works to attract any females that might be in the area. This particular grouse has been coming back to the same log for several years. When I first noticed him four years ago I was surprised that his drumming was so quiet. Normally when the wind rushes into the vacuum made by the rapid wing beats there is a loud drumming sound. This guy barely makes any noise at all.
At first I thought he had broken some of his primary wing feathers so that the vacuum could not be created. The low muffled sound has continued for all four years.

DrummingRuffedGrouse

Red Squirrel Pushing His Luck

While I was watching him this week he attracted quite an audience. First a red squirrel ran down his log. The grouse wasn’t about to let the squirrel get by. He puffed up his chest, spread his tail feathers and ran the squirrel off.

RedSquirrelPushingHisLuck

Grouse with an Audience

The second encounter was with four deer. You can see three of the deer in the background watching the grouse very inquisitively. They are probably also wondering why there isn't much sound coming from all that hard work.

DrummingRuffedGrouseAudience