In six years of surveying birds in Pend Oreille and Stevens County
(northeastern Washington) we have a single reliable record of Spruce Grouse.
It was in northern Pend Oreille County near Rocky Creek (I think). A male
was observed displaying near the road by several of our birders. I don't
have any other information because it was a word-of-mouth sort of thing. I
think we have a few Spruce Grouse sightings in our database but I'm not sure
I would trust those sightings; they were probably Blue Grouse. I am still
looking for my first one. There aren't any Spruce Grouse on the Palouse (no
habitat) of southeastern Washington.

Deborah K. Beutler
Dept. Zoology
Washington State University
Pullman, Whitman Co., WA

dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Bailey <hanrac at aosi.com>
To: TWEETERS at u.washington.edu <TWEETERS at u.washington.edu>
Date: Tuesday, October 20, 1998 6:20 PM
Subject: Spruce Grouse in Wash State?


>Tweeters,
>
>I believe this was talked about before. Can
>someone post the official status. Are there
>Spruce Grouse in Washington State? Have there
>ever been any in the state - (a specimen, photo)?
>
>If I remember correctly, someone mentioned
>seeing (or hearing about) a Spruce Grouse
>being found on Mt. Ranier. I think the majority
>of the answers were that they don't occur. A few
>responses thought that birders were actually seeing
>Blue Grouse.
>
>BTW - great discussion group, wish we had one for
>my state....
>
>
>Many thanks,
>
>Tom Bailey
>Robbinsville, NJ
>hanrac at aosi.com
>