Cascade Ruffed Grouse 001

I thought I would include a couple of ruffed grouse photos that I got earlier in the week at Cascade River State Park.

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Cascade Ruffed Grouse 002

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Sharp-tailed Grouse 001

Here are two sharp-tailed grouse photos from an earlier trip. We had 27 sharp-tails around our blind for two hours dancing up a storm.

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Sharped-tailed Grouse 002

This is my favorite. It is like looking into a mirror.

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Wood Duck 001

Each spring I wait with anticipation for our ponds to become ice free and the arrival of the first wood ducks. Wood ducks are one of the most beautiful species of waterfowl as they have all the colors of the rainbow in their plumage.

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Wood Duck 002

This year with the warm weather they arrived sooner than expected. Currently we have 16 wood ducks spending their mornings and evenings in our two ponds.

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Wood Duck 003

I set up my blind a week ago and on Friday I got up early and headed for the blind. You must be in the blind before the ducks arrive (while it is still dark) or they spook when they see you. Then you wait for the light to get bright enough for photos.

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Wood Duck 004

Morning is a great time to sit in a blind and listen to the world wake up around you. The first thing I heard while it was still dark was a wolf howling somewhere up on the ridge behind our house. They were long lonesome howls making me think that it was a lone wolf trying to locate others in the area. I never heard any answers so after about a dozen howls he must have moved on.

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Wood Duck 005

Soon the wood ducks dropped in like little planes coming in for a landing. The wood ducks were not alone as several mallards also arrived about the same time. The morning was full of sounds between the quacking ducks, singing birds, spring peepers and wood frogs. I watched and photographed for about two hours before heading back to the house for breakfast.

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