Subject: [Tweeters] Re: Spruce Grouse Post
Date: Jul 31 22:00:23 2006
From: vogelfreund at comcast.net - vogelfreund at comcast.net


===================
7/31/06

I just quickly looked at Campbel's Birds of British Columbia, vol.2 (the only volume of the set I have), and see that Ruffed Grouse form multi-family flocks in "autumn", whereas Spruce Grouse rarely form flocks larger than a family. I think it has to be proven that a multi-family group is really Spruce Grouse, before we can make any conclusions. West side Ruffed Grouse are the reddish morph (usually), but I've never seen young ones (chicks) myself. But I hope Fred is right.

Phil Hotlen
Bellingham, WA
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: vogelfreund at comcast.net
> =====================
> 7/31/06
>
> Hi Fred and Tweeters,
>
> I sure wish some real experts on Spruce Grouse would chime in.
>
> I thought maybe the humid forest corridor along Ross Lake might have isolated
> the population of Spruce Grouse in the National Park near the border, from the
> main population to the east (Hart's Pass area & Manning Provincial Park). But
> from what you described, maybe there is a continuous range, going around the top
> of Ross Lake in Canada.
>
> I even got a poor quality photo of the Manning chicks, taken with a 110 pocket
> camera (1987). But I don't know where I stashed it or the naegative. The
> situation was thus: I was riding in the back of someone else's car (on a field
> trip), when the camper truck ahead of us stopped for no apparent reason. Then we
> saw a mother grouse and a line of chicks crossing in front of the truck ahead of
> us. Thhen we all got out and went closer to see the grouse, which we were pretty
> sure were Spruce Grouse. The last chick froze in the middle of the road, and
> finally the driver got out and picked the plump little chick up and carried it
> over the the side, where the last of the Grouse family could still be seen. They
> disappeared into loose undergrowth in what I guess was Lodgepole Pine woodland
> (near the RV campground).
>
> Phil Hotlen
> -------------- Original message ----------------------
> From: Fred.Chancey at comcast.net
> > Phil,
> > On the Saturday after the 4th, I was fishing the Upper Skagit at Chittenden
> Bar
> > above Ross Lake. As I walked out of the river, I got into one of those coveys
> > of grouse that seem to be made up of several families. There was more than
> one
> > adult female and a bunch of, more than twelve, young birds. I was in an alder
> > thicket right at the river. The day was hot and the ground wet. I thought
> they
> > were ruffed grouse, but they weren't marked right. They were not big enough
> to
> > be Sooty-- I have to get used to writing that. But, more importantly they
> were
> > reddish. After reading your post I looked up the Franklin's and I'd say they
> > were. However, I'm squemish about the sighting since they will be my life
> > birds.
> >
> > I hadn't done my home work very carefully because I didn't think they were
> near.
> >
> > I guess I'm asking how bound to the evergreen forest Spruce Grouse are because
> > there were firs and other evergreens nearby. Any help would be welcome.
> >
> > Thanks for your tip.
> >
> > Fred Chancey
> Eugene, OR
>
>



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