The New England winter can be a harsh environment for many creatures. That’s why so many of our summer birds fly south until spring. On the other hand, winter weather can help bring some birds that are more difficult to find out in the open where we can get a better look at them. The Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) is a great example of this.
The Ruffed Grouse is ordinarily a bird that spends most of its time on the ground in the forest. There it feeds mainly on the buds and tender shoots of plants that that it can easily reach from the ground. Low-lying berries and other fruits are also eaten by the Ruffed Grouse in season.
The mottled brown, black and white almost look like they are patterned after something from a hunter’s camouflage catalogue. This ground dwelling bird is very difficult to spot on the forest floor. Most sightings occur when someone unknowingly walks too close to the bird and it reacts by flying off with a small explosion of noisy wingbeats. At that point the disappearing shape of the big bird glimpsed through the tree branches as it retreats is often all that is seen.
Ruffed Grouse Drumming Sound
They generally don’t fly too far, but they’ll remain wary and can be difficult to approach for a better view. If you’re good at walking silently in the woods, you might be able to find them in the spring when the males make a low, very low pitched, thrumming sound as a part of their courtship behavior. It is so low pitched in fact, that it can be difficult to hear if there is a slight breeze or other noise in the forest. From my experience in the loudspeaker industry, I’d estimate that the drumming of the male Ruffed Grouse is somewhere around 50Hz in frequency. It starts out as slow measured beats with a distinct interval between each one and gradually increases in pace, in all lasting for about 15 seconds.
Ruffed Grouse After Snow
In the winter, however, after either a deep snowfall or a lesser snowfall that subsequently freezes over into a hard crust, the ruffed grouse can have a hard time finding accessible food on the ground as it is all covered up. During these times, I have seen on several occasions, ruffed grouse taking to the treetops in search of the dormant buds on the upper tree branches. In fact, earlier this week, I just happened to look out the window of my home on Blue Job Mountain and see the beautiful ruffed grouse pictured here in the trees on the forest edge.
When they do fly up into the tree tops, they are hard to miss because they are so large and round-bodied. They almost look like a chicken in a tree. Even in these conditions, the ruffed grouse will spend a good deal of time on the ground, so you may be able to locate tracks in the snow, if you do, look up and see if it’s feeding up above.
----
Follow the Manchester Bird Watching Examiner on Facebook and @back2n8ure on Twitter.
Comments