Hello birders,
I love seeing any grouse, always a rare treat. Dusky Grouse seems particularly obscure and hard to find. When I see one far ahead crossing the trail, high in the foothills in a mixed forest, it's a lucky accident, impossible to plan for. And yet, at other times…...
Today Barb and I were hiking the private Docmann Trail above Ken-Caryl Ranch in Jefferson County. Near the top of the trail at a patch of snow Barb spotted a Dusky Grouse under a bush about fifty yards from the trail. (BTW, for once I was not playing a grouse tape.) Hooray, a grouse! To our astonishment the grouse shyly approached us. It stepped onto the trail and looked up at us, as if it wanted to introduce itself. I thought, "What a friendly grouse. Maybe we ought to give it something to eat, maybe an oat bar."
Then the grouse started huffing and puffing. It's yellow eyebrows flared. It scratched the ground like a chicken, and BAM! it pecked my hiking boots. "Hey, Hey, Hey! Cut it out. We're BIRDERS!"
The grouse was NOT impressed. It quickly perp-walked us down the narrow trail for about 300 yards, never letting up, pecking our heels and pants, huffing and puffing, a real terror.
I believe a similar grouse a couple of springs ago took over the parking lot at the top of Lookout Mountain in Jefferson County. It threatened one and all until it took on a cement truck, and lost. I fear that today's testosterone-crazed male will challenge a mountain bike on the Docmann Trail, and lose.
So, here's to obscure Dusky Grouse. May they always be hard to find. May they be safe.
Tom Wilberding
Littleton
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