“At one point, it stood on my foot and looked up at me”
By Dan Jordan,
Have you heard? Bird is the word! Of course, this is a reference to the lyrics of a song from 1963 called Surfin’ Bird, by the Trashmen. Peter Griffin from Family Guy (Season 7) probably made the lyric more famous than the original with his quirky repetitive rendition of the “Bird, Bird, Bird, Bird is the Word” lyric. Anyways, in this series of articles, Bird [really is] the Word!
I have become a wildlife photographer in my retirement years. I travel extensively to find wildlife, but most of my encounters and the resulting images are from right here in our local area.
In the Fifth installment of this series, published last week, I shared images and stories of northern harriers. The male of that species, known as the grey ghost, had long avoided my lens, but had recently been photographed by me during an ‘owl outing’.
The subject of this article is the ruffed grouse. Hunters and hikers alike have been scared witless by these game birds as they fly off when approached. Their loud takeoffs and the sounds of their wingbeats are startling when they unexpectedly happen, seemingly from right under your feet.
This first story is the opposite scenario. Startling, yes, but no sudden movement or noise was involved.
I was on a wildlife outing with my wife and daughter when we stopped at a scenic overlook to observe the Allegheny Reservoir, near Warren, PA. As we admired the scenic view, I noticed movement at the forest’s edge. Out from the tree line wandered a ruffed grouse. After pausing on a moss-covered rock to size up the family invading its space, the grouse walked right up to us then followed us around for 10 minutes. At one point, it stood on my foot and looked up at me.
Later, as we tried to leave, the grouse attempted to get into our car, then followed our car out of the parking area and onto the road.
I understand that this type of behavior from ruffed grouses has been reported by others and that the Pennsylvania DCNR is even asking people to report and describe such behavior. Whether common or not, I have to say that it was startling to us that day!
On another occasion (in 2024), I was looking for wildlife at Kettle Creek State Park, near Renovo, PA, when I had a relatively close encounter with a ruffed grouse. Although not nearly as close as the previously mentioned occurrence, it did offer some closeup images to be captured.
Ruffed grouses have plumage which is well suited for camouflage. The light and dark streaks mimic streaks of light falling from the canopy in forested areas. During mating season, male grouses display and make deep drumming noises by rapid wing movements which create deep, thumping sound waves to propagate.
During the winter months, ruffed grouses grow little spikes on the sides of their toes which help them grip icy terrain. Their diet includes plant and tree buds, soft fruits and even acorns.
Ruffed grouses are common birds in our area but are not commonly seen by humans. To see grouses, one would normally have to venture out into the wild, which most people do not do these days. If you’re walking in the woods, you’ll likely hear a grouse before you see one. Their camouflage makes them hard to spot, but when one takes off, you will hear it! And you will be startled!
While on the topic of grouses, let me share one more photo with you. This one comes from out of our area, Utah to be precise. It is not a ruffed grouse, but a spruce grouse, native to the western regions of the U.S. This grouse wandered into the road in Capitol Reef National Park and caused quite a traffic snarl when it refused to move out of harm’s way. You can see the resemblance to our ruffed grouse, but you can also tell that it is a different species of grouse.
Let me close by saying that I hope my grousing didn’t ruffle your feathers too much!
I plan to submit more in this series of anecdotes about my local wildlife encounters in the future. If you have any questions or comments for me, or even suggestions, I can be reached at dan@jordanphotog.com. Thank you for your interest in my work.
