No great surprise but still worth a long pause along Hwy. 2 about a mile south of Louie's Rd. (between Greenwood Lake & Louie's Rd.) to see this male grouse (tetras du nord, to the birders north and east of us) as he gobbled up sand along the opposite shoulder. As I was out there on a spruce-grouse project the sighting seemed especially to fit within the day. He was watchful, standing to regain his composure after two oncoming cars slowed and passed between us. I wished I had another person along, a new birder, whose thrill would be like my own the first time I ever encountered this long-sought northwoods bird. Recently a friend in this category was riding with me along Hwys. 2 and 1 and was able to experience the sound of a grouse, invisible in deep undercover, bursting into flight. He had never heard this telltale sound before and needed an explanation. Somewhat later I read in a bird book, Sibley I think, that ruffed grouse have that whirring take-off sound, but now, since I've never spooked a spruce grouse while I was walking, if spruce grouse make a silent getaway for the most part so that winged explosion in our region would have to mean ruffed grouse. *Tanya Beyer Barcikowski - d.b.a. Epiphanies Afield, Natural History Art from the North American heartland * See and order note cards, frameable prints and original art at: http://epiphanies-afield.com/default.aspx✎ or: http://www.etsy.com/search/shops?search_query=FrameableNoteCards&search_submit=&search_type=shops Get a signature like this. <http://r1.wisestamp.com/r/landing?promo=19&dest=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wisestamp.com%2Femail-install%3Futm_source%3Dextension%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3Dpromo_19> CLICK HERE.<http://r1.wisestamp.com/r/landing?promo=19&dest=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wisestamp.com%2Femail-install%3Futm_source%3Dextension%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3Dpromo_19> ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html