Saturday, August 29, 2015

Gulls and Grouse

We frequently see Gulls sitting spread out across farm fields, in large widely spaced flocks.  We rarely see, though we regularly hear, Ruffed Grouse.

I saw this large flock of Gulls on a harvested hayfield, just yesterday.  As I drove up and poked the camera out the window they were almost all sitting.  I keep wanting to call them 'Seagulls', but that's only a colloquial name; these were either Ring-billed or Herring Gulls, more likely the former according to eBird records for Grey County, but they were too far to tell without binoculars.

This was quite a large flock.  They didn't look as if they were feeding, just resting.  Sometimes we see them spread out down a field behind a farmer ploughing, presumably eating the turned up worms.

I was able to get a couple of pictures out the window, and then from behind the car, but once I stopped out in the open, the ones close to me rose and flew in a big circle to land further away.  Have you ever wondered how a large flock of birds coordinates their flying to move as a group so gracefully?  They're perhaps our most common bird around here in terms of numbers.

The Ruffed Grouse is another story.  We rarely see them except as an exploding shadow when you surprise one walking through the woods.  We do hear the drumming males in the spring.  But this one just sat there while we stopped 10 feet away and didn't even ruffle its feathers.  I didn't have the camera, but we were almost home, so we went home, I got the camera and returned.

It was still sitting there!  It even let me get out of the car to take a picture and didn't move a muscle.  But I moved one step off the road closer, and it burst into flight straight for the woods - and a milli-second behind it a second bird burst out of the grass at my feet and followed it.  This bird had been guarding the female sitting on the nest.  I left promptly, not to disturb it more.  You can see the crest on top of the head on this bird, the red phase of the Ruffed Grouse.  But its named for the feathers around its neck which can spread out to create quite a 'ruff', though I've never see that.

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17 comments:

  1. Grouse season opens here next week. I'm hoping all our local grouse will escape, but it's not likely. :-(

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  2. Quite a contrast with a large flock compared to single bird.

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  3. It is amazing how graceful so many birds can fly together. It is like they put on a show for us. Great shots

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  4. A lot of our gulls live their lives between arable fields and land-fill sites; they hardly ever see the sea, so seagulls is now a bit of a misnomer anyway. Cars seem to make excellent bird-hides as your lovely photos of the grouse show.

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  5. Here we are a fair way inland, but if a paddock is ploughed, or is the weather will be very stormy at sea, they flock nearby. Lovely photo of the grouse, hope we get to see some little ones later on.

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  6. I am always getting told off by my son for saying 'seagulls'. I get a lecture everytime! :) The grouse is magnificent. Take care.

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  7. Hello, it is neat seeing the gulls on the field and around here on the parking lots. They do look graceful taking off as a group. I love the grouse, cool sighting and great photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Have a happy day!

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  8. Great job, Stew. A Ruffed Grouse is always a great sighting. We get very few in Waterloo Region because there are few tracts of undisturbed forest left here. Given the time of year your gulls are almost certainly Ring-billed. Herring Gulls also tend not to inhabit fields in such large flocks.

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    1. Thanks David, I was hoping a birder would help me on that one.

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  9. My goodness....so many at once. I don't think I've ever seen that many in one sitting...even along our seashore. Fantastic.
    And the grouse is a beauty to be sure.

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  10. I had guessed the behavior of the grouse was protective or he/she was exhausted from such a large flight from a predator. I can remember seeing gulls in the fields of Colorado when being plowed. A looong way from an ocean.

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  11. Those are really lovely photos, and nice of you to share!

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  12. what a sight to behold, i do love the take-off!!!!

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  13. How exciting to see the Ruffed Grouse. I rarely see them in my neck of the woods.

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  14. I know a few grumpy people who just don't like seagulls but I really love them. We go to the north shore in Minnesota and just sit and watch all that they do and the sounds are always great. All sorts of bird migrations go through our area including white pelicans.

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  15. Grouse are fun birds to watch. I've watched them up in Muskoka walking around like chickens.

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  16. Now that mustt have been a "Gull Convention".I lovethe Ruffed Grouse shots. Have a lovely week ahead.

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