Spruce grouse season coming up
Don Bartling Correspondent | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 years, 5 months AGO
-- Photo by DON BARTLING A spruce grouse camoflauged in its natural habitat.
-- Photo by DON BARTLING A male spruce grouse pecks for food on a backwoods logging road.
-- Photo by DON BARTLING Grouse explores vehicle; finding no food, it moves on.
-- Photo by DON BARTLING Spruce grouse feel at home in pine, spruce or fir trees.
BOUNDARY COUNTY — Last week, I was on a photo trip, journeying on Ball Creek rail just off the west side road and back into the Selkirk Mountains when I came onto a fairly common sight for the month of August. It was a mother spruce grouse and three of her chicks who were almost fully grown. I can well understand why the spruce grouse are called “fool hens” because they just stayed in the road and let me watch them for awhile, uninterrupted by my presence. I got out of my vehicle and quietly walked forward when one of the grouse became uncomfortable and flew up into a tree. I curiously walked over within 15 feet of the bird sitting on the branch in a shaded area of the tree and took some more pictures. He eyed me suspiciously and then flew away, landing on the roof of my vehicle, which amazed me. I thought, “I hope you are more cautious during the upcoming grouse season!”
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ARTICLES BY DON BARTLING CORRESPONDENT
Spruce grouse season coming up
BOUNDARY COUNTY — Last week, I was on a photo trip, journeying on Ball Creek rail just off the west side road and back into the Selkirk Mountains when I came onto a fairly common sight for the month of August. It was a mother spruce grouse and three of her chicks who were almost fully grown. I can well understand why the spruce grouse are called “fool hens” because they just stayed in the road and let me watch them for awhile, uninterrupted by my presence. I got out of my vehicle and quietly walked forward when one of the grouse became uncomfortable and flew up into a tree. I curiously walked over within 15 feet of the bird sitting on the branch in a shaded area of the tree and took some more pictures. He eyed me suspiciously and then flew away, landing on the roof of my vehicle, which amazed me. I thought, “I hope you are more cautious during the upcoming grouse season!”
Snowshoe hare changes coats with the seasons
BONNERS FERRY — This past week end, I had the opportunity to travel around Wall Mountain to explore one of my favorite mountain areas. The location is close to Bonners Ferry, just past Dawson Lake on Meadow Creek Road, a comfortable ride and scenic excursion. The old logging road goes around Wall Mountain and continues almost to the top of Queen Mountain before it descends from the summit to the east side and then around Queen Mountain where there is a clear view of the Moyie River and the Cabinet Mountains of Idaho and Montana. This trip is always a beautiful experience of flora and fauna.
Turkey buzzard: one ugly bird
Several weeks ago while returning from Canada, I decided to take the Farm to Market Road from the border to the Copeland Road, then east to Highway 1, and then south to Highway 95. As I was traveling south on the gravel road, I noticed a small farm pond with several large black birds hovering over the area. In total, four were in the air and one was on a whitetail deer carcass.