attacked by a ruffed grouse

17 years ago

Yesterday I had an interesting experience. I was walking around my evergreens picking up sticks prior to mowing the lawn. I saw a low branch of a balsam fir begin to wiggle and heard a pitiful cheeping. Out came what must have been a juvenile ruffed grouse, judging by its size. It ran right at me cheeping and batting my legs with its wings, while it also extended the ruff feathers up and down. It ran around me several times doing the same thing and then ran across the lawn to the evergreens on the other side.

I went back to the place it had come from to see if there was a nest under the fir and heard another cheeping,and I decided to wait until today to mow that part of the lawn.

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Comments (4)

dzyg
17 years ago
Oh my this is sooo funny. You see I had a similar experience with a Ruffed Grouse earlier this year. However I think it the male defending its territory. It was in the woods at a nature park near our house. I stumbled across it one day while taking some photos of some fungus on a tree and it ended up pecking both me and my dog. It was totally unafraid of the three cocker spaniels I was walking. I was more afraid one of the dogs would hurt it so we hightailed it out of there. The next day I went down to take some photos of some apple blossoms, not in the same spot but near it. You guessed it, the dang thing showed up again. I learned never to move quickly when being stalked by a Ruffed Grouse as it will fly at you and peck you. My daughter after hearing my stories really wanted to see the bird. I told her she would end up running out of the woods screaming and that is exactly what happened. Then about a week later I was walking through the woods not near either two spots I saw it earlier and of course it found me again and walked right along with me while I was looking for things to photograph. It was doing a quiet almost clucking like sound like a chicken and at times would peck my shoes and my pants. Eventually it stopped following me, I must have gotten out of its territory range at the time but not before it sat on my foot for a bit. It was so funny how it followed me around, it wasn't tame though as it would not let me touch it but just stayed real close. I of course talked to it but it did kinda freak me out a bit. Here are some pics I got of it during those times I saw it. It has been quite awhile now and I haven't seen it, I am assuming because the breeding season is probably done now.

Donna
Chazy
Original Author
17 years ago
I think your experience is even funnier than mine. Well,it's one kind of bird with nerve.
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rachel_frome_ky
17 years ago
Oooh..I'm so jealous!! Thank you both for your wonderful stories
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17 years ago
Both stories are hilarious!
Donna Yours I believe is a female or a first year male b/c the black band on the tail is broken. Mature males have a solid black band. I'll bet she had eggs or chicks.

attacked by a ruffed grouse

Comments (4)

dzyg

Chazy
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attacked by a ruffed grouse

Comments (4)

dzyg

ChazyOriginal Author

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bbcathy

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Chazy
Original Author