Hi all,
?
During the last two weeks, I got to spend some quality time with one of the most

cryptically, plumaged grouse in North America.?I was fortunate and elated to get

footage of them displaying, dusting, and bonding with each other.??

The video snipets were shot at both Sunrise and Paradise at Mt. Rainier?with
different breeding

plumage males.? With the late, heavy snow fall this spring, one of the males was

extremely late in molting into summer plumage.? Sexual dimorphism was very
evident in?this pair shown in last video.?

?A) Male doing his breeding call and flutter flight display against a beautiful
background.? Amazing how fast he skyrocketed down the ridge so fast--too rapid
for me to capture the entire flight pattern.
?
This?fancy chicken?was videoed on 7/10/10 along a more?exposed habitat with
little snow.??His?summer?molt is more advance than?paired male featured in last
video.????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C24m-eaHKIg
?
?B) A male recorded on 7/16/10?trying to conceal himself by dusting and blending

in with the rocks.?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFpzpJ_9WMw
?
?C) A bonded pair videoed?7/24/10 where the surroundings were 80% snow
covered.?He is still very white compared to the previous male.?Very warm temps
this weekend so birds were panting.?

?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4pjwwCrJ1M?

?
?**************On a side note/observation************************
?
I wonder if these birds molt according to environment rather than biological
stimuli such as amount of light per day, temperature, or hormones.? The one
male?Dave Hayden photographed at Paradise on 7/10 (where it it was still 90%
snow covered)is about 60-70% white. The birds at Sunrise(where I recorded?on
7/10 and 7/16)?are almost in summer plumage because the area was barely snow
covered at top.? It was really exposed and south facing.??

They are clever birds and will try to blend in and can change their plumage in a

week if need be to match the terrain.??The male in?video B?tried to roll
in?trail dust?to conceal himself.? I have seen this phenomenon with rock
ptarmigans in the Yukon early spring. Three, pure white birds that did not molt
fast enough to blend in to the bare surroundings?so they rolled in dirt as I
closely approached them.?

Fun stuff and hope you enjoy!
?
Good grousin,
?
Khanh Tran
?
ktbirding.com