While riding yesterday on a piney section of trail I noticed a small partridge-like bird just walking around. I stopped to let it pass, and it came right up to me and chirped softly at me, as if it were hungry for food or affection(just like my cat). I had some trail mix in my pack, and it seemed really hungry, as it wasnt going away in a hurry.....It didnt seem to like the soy nuts as it cracked them open with it's beak and dropped them like hot potatoes....so I picked out a dried cranberry and it practically ate it out of my hand!!
This was a very beautiful bird and a special moment for me, as I sat down in the middle of the trail wishing I had a camera......I felt I could have picked it up and held it(just like my cat).....
It had exactly the same colors as the forest floor, reddish, light and dark browns, black, white...I looked it up and I'm pretty sure it was a Spruce Grouse female.....the pic I have in the Audobon field guide is a male, and it doesnt look anything like that....wasnt a pheasant, as it had a short tail....My Peterson's Bird book had a sketch that looked alot like it.......most references I could find italicized very tame in describing the Spruce Grouse.
The pic above is from Wikipedia.
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