Post was not sent - check your email addresses! I could return to this log later. Please support our sponsors. Sadly, ruffed grouse populations are declining across their range. Matt Soberg from, explains why grouse drum and what you can do to watch them in the spring. I expected it to flush into the understory, but it didn’t. They also drum by beating their wings with the air movement making a tractor-like sound. David, a retired art instructor, lives in Lutsen, Minnesota, with his wife, Mary, on a ridge above Lake Superior. They rank among the smaller of the 10 species of grouse native to North America with weights ranging from 17 to 25 oz. NESTING: Ruffed grouse nests are on the ground and are constructed of weeds, feathers, leaves, grass and roots. APPEARANCE: The bird is about 18 inches long. Ruffed grouse drum about every three to seven minutes, so I waited for the next feathered volley. As exciting as it is to hear a drumming ruffed grouse, the first moment you see him on his log is spectacular, especially if the log is old, moss- or lichen-covered and fits the classic scene. You can watch them here or on our YouTube Channel or Facebook page. Spring Brings the Drumbeat of the Ruffed Grouse to the North Woods. FINDING GROUSE: Hiking forest trails anywhere from central to northern Minnesota offers a chance to listen for and observe the ruffed grouse. One story has a grouse perching on a man’s arm for 20 minutes, while he stroked the breast feathers with his finger and the grouse kept perching and purring. Perhaps this explains why the drumming counts were not broadcast like an ad for Explore Minnesota tourism as in previous years. Enter your email address and select which Free Newsletters you'd like to receive. All miraculously survived the perilous journey. We also ask the question why cabins are ok to use now at resorts but not houseboats? Hunting of the ruffed grouse can be challenging. This plump grouse has a cocky crest and a tail marked by a broad, dark band near the tip. When I reached a spot where I could stand up, I turned and again said goodbye. It’s difficult to describe the thrill of hearing that first spring drumbeat. More than 250 years ago, the famous Philadelphia naturalist John Bartram informed his English colleagues that the grouse produced their drumming “by clapping their wings against their sides.” Others hypothesized that the sound arose when the wings were beat against the puffed-up breast, or when they were clapped together. Stories of sporadic, bizarre interactions with humans earned them that moniker. We also ask the question why cabins are ok to use now at resorts but not houseboats? Male ruffed grouse are ready to rumble, showing off their stuff and hoping to catch a female’s eye and ear. Tweets by @lakesuperiormag !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)? For a photographer, it resembles a starter’s pistol at a track meet, signaling the start of a race to find and photograph the first drumming grouse. Food, yes, but also for cover. NAME: The ruffed grouse has labored throughout its history with a plethora of names. Plumage of the ruffed grouse is subtly and beautifully marked in a way that blends remarkably with their habitat. 'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); A Great Lakes Information Network partner, ©2020 Lake Superior Publishing LLC. SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/lifeoflukeI stalked this Ruffed Grouse with my camera to capture his "drumming" display. An issue has been popping up in news feeds more frequently. [Ruffed Grouse.] And yes, ruffed grouse do drum during the fall, and even at night. L. & E. VOLUME V. THE RUFFED GROUSE. “Rusty, have a great summer and I hope you safely return to your log next spring.”. In minutes, he adjusted his feet and slowly started his routine. Ruffed Grouse on Nests A Ruffed Grouse’s nest is pretty basic – just a shallow bowl on the forest floor, created by the hen grouse tossing leaves over her shoulder and having them fall on her back, slip down to the ground and form a bowl. Color phases range from gray to chestnut. It continues to happen in different states, and it’s a very troubling trend. The deep, thumping sound starts slowly and builds to a blurred crescendo as the bird rapidly rotates his wings back and forth. Males "drum" to attract females to their territory. www.BretAmundson.com Weight:About 1.5 pounds. The birds do not Native people called the Ruffed Grouse “the carpenter bird” because they thought it drummed by beating its wings against a log. We’ve got exclusive video of hen pheasant dust baths, drumming ruffed grouse and more. Ruffed grouse grow comb-like appendages on their feet called pectinations to … By late April the migration has begun in earnest, with plenty to spot in our skies, feeders and trees as birds return. And then there is that familiar sound echoing over the ridges of Minnesota’s Sawtooth Mountains – muffled, rhythmic thumps of wings beating against soft-feathered bodies. But while the exact plant species are different, the • 109 W. Superior St. #200 • Duluth, MN 55802 • 218-722-5002 • edit@LakeSuperior.com. The drummer usually stands on a log, stone or mound of dirt when drumming, and this object is called a “drumming log.”. At times, I could get within a few feet of him and sit on his log, photographing as he drummed. Williams said the tame-grouse phenomenon is usually short-lived and occurs mostly in the spring and fall, when the bird's "hormones are all in a flux. The gray phase is reported to be more prevalent in colder climates. It develops slowly, then races to a rapid crescendo. However, it is also intended to mark the territory of the displayer and also for keeping other males (competitors) away. The drumming resembles an old two-stroke John Deere tractor starting up – an analogy that dates me. A male may drum from the same spot, using the same log or stump for several years. Each spring, male grouse ruffle their neck feathers, fan their tails and drum in an attempt to lure hens to their territory. Here is the link to donate. Ruffed grouse do not migrate. Spring, from late April through May, is mating season for Ruffed Grouse. grouse’s preferred brushy, mixed-age forest we know why the birds are in here. A few years ago, I witnessed a mother grouse usher her “baker’s dozen” of just-hatched chicks across Highway 61. Females then select the fittest male for breeding, because they want their young to carry the best genes possible, thus increasing their chance of survival. The bird’s plumage can be a rich brown sprinkled with white and black above and white and horizontal dark brown bars on the breast and undersides. They perch on fallen tree trunks (drumming logs) and beat their wings to produce the strange noise. All rights reserved. The simple answer to the title question is: to better their chances for reproduction. In nature, one sex (typically the male) displays to potential mates that it is the fittest of its species. The birds carry out this 10-second display year round, with peaks during the spring, The male grouse flap their wings forward and backward up to fifty times , creating miniature sonic booms with each flap. Conspicuous markings are the broad black band of the fan-like tail feathers and the patch of dark feathers on both si… Then, too, grouse display from their drumming logs, stumps and rocks. View all posts by Bret Amundson, If you care about Minnesota’s Outdoors, this show is for you.Â, Trophy Lake Trout and Northern Pike Fishing. In the distance, I heard drumming in an opposite direction. Male ruffed grouse drum to attract a female, and to warn other males of their territory. SJR – Spring is for the birds! As I turned and crawled back through the spruce thicket, something interesting occurred. Almost immediately, a slow methodical thumping started up close to me, just beyond the spruce thicket. With adequate snow cover they will burrow … Plus Pheasants Forever is asking for our help to raise money for the conservation organization today because of the cancellation of pretty much every fundraising effort across the country due to COVID-19. He quietly headed back into the thicket and disappeared. Rusty trailed about five feet behind and to the side of me, following through the thicket. Male ruffed grouse are ready to rumble, showing off their stuff and hoping to catch a female’s eye and ear. We often hear of grouse that are following people around, sometime even riding on snowmobiles, tractors , or trucks . The male Ruffed Grouse’s unique drumming display takes place from atop a low log, stump, or rock. Females wander over a larger area than males and may include the territories of several males in their … Submit Yours. The subspecies that inhabits Maine is the St. Lawrence or Canada ruffed grouse. Ruffed Grouse are well known for their drumming. We’ve got exclusive video of hen pheasant dust baths, drumming ruffed grouse and more. It is thought that fall drumming is performed by adult males to warn young male grouse “this is my territory.” A male, as only the males have ruffs. It is also very hard to detect a foraging grouse bobbing about in the thicket due to their camouflage. Males also have a concealed neck ruff (hence the name "ruffed grouse") that they display during courtship. To quote the MN DNR: In 2019, ruffed grouse surveys were conducted between 15 April and 17 Sometimes they are comfortable with human presence and that was the case with Rusty. Length:About 12 inches. We’re incorporating video now into our shows. Male ruffed grouse, also known as partridge, are aggressively territorial throughout their adult lives, defending roughly 6-10 acres of woodland which is usually shared with one or two hens. A grouse weighs about 11/2 pounds, its body length is 151/2 to 19 inches and wingspan is 22 to 25 inches. Almost immediately, he hopped off his log and disappeared into the forest. “Rusty,” as I name all the ruffed grouse I photograph, stood facing me on his log. 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