Welcome to Colleen’s Corner. This is a column meant for fun and some information About myself: I am a Freelance Photographer you often see me on the side of the road or in various places taking photos of different things animals, birds, places, people etc. l have lived in Lumby for over 8 years, you have seen my photos in the newspaper (Lumby Valley Times) and once in awhile in the Vernon Morning Star, and the Lumby Art Gallery. Photography is my passion. Disclaimer: The information on some of my photos that I write about a lot of times come from the Internet or books I research them, hopefully the facts are as close to the truth as I can come.
By Colleen Fielding
When out driving every once in awhile we see this bird crossing the road. The Ruffed Grouse is kind of elusive, you don’t come across them much as they blend well in the bushes. Mostly they are spotted crossing the road. Have you heard a sound that is comparable to an engine that you need to start over and over. when walking through the woods? It was probably a ruffed grouse.
The ruffed grouse can handle eating items that other birds cannot digest properly, they can eat plants that are toxic to other birds. Eating the buds of the Quaking Aspen during the winter is like us eating porridge, it keeps us going most of the day. The ruffed grouse has an extra- long pouch at both the small and large intestines helping them to digest vegetation that has a lot of fibre.
The ruffed grouse in the northern range will use the snow as their roost, they use it at night, they bury their bodies into soft drifts for a cover that is insulated. The ruffed grouse on the south side will look for more dense woody trees and shrubs for protection from the chilly winds. During the winter the ruffed grouse’s toes will grow projections from their sides which look like combs, acting like a pair of snowshoes helping the ruffed grouse walk across the snow.
The ruffed grouse population will go through different cycles of increasing and decreasing, the cycles seem to be linked to the Snowshoe Hare, if the Hare’s numbers decrease then so will the ruffed grouse as the predators then turn to the birds for eating.
In 1708 hunting the ruffed grouse New York provided a closed season for the birds, as they were continuously hunted for pleasure.
