The Blue Grouse

Once considered a single species, the "Blue Grouse" was split into 2 separate but closely related species back in 2006, the Dusky and Sooty Grouse. Since my days as a birder, I have been fascinated by this group of birds.  

                                                             misty and cold, Dusky Grouse habitat

Grouse, or any ground birds, have always held a particular fascination for me.  In Arizona, we have 3 species of quail and in the far north, the Dusky Grouse.  Chukar are also found in the rockier regions of the Grand Canyon. And Northern Bobwhite(the masked subspecies) are slowly being reintroduced into the Buenos Aires grasslands of Southeastern Arizona with some limited success. I am familiar with all of our Arizona species, but had limited knowledge on the Blue Grouse complex and needed to learn more about them.  Thanks to my friend Khanh, , I was able to piece together gaps of missing information.  Khanh possesses incredible detective skills like no other birder I've met except maybe Tommy D. This would be a cool TV show:) For ear birding, I look to my mentor Melody who helped me tune my abilities for guiding and finding birds with my ears. The problem?  Grouse don't make a lot of noise when they are not doing their breeding/mating dances. That's where I lose my secret powers. 

So one of the missions to the Pacific Northwest was to study both Sooty and Dusky Grouse and understand better why they were split and why they are considered different. None of the birds were lifers but I like these birds a lot.  So into detective mode we went to study both species. We headed to several locations we have monitored over the years except this time, it was during the breeding season which starts mid April through May and perhaps, in AZ at least, into the first week of June. Note.  In Arizona, in places like Greer, the San Francisco Peaks or the Grand Canyon, there are several populations of Dusky Grouse only. Sooty Grouse is found only along the Pacific flanks from California to Canada.

While on the road, we had in depth conversations on various bird species in AZ, OR and WA which included Spotted Owl distinctions.  We discussed habitat and we discussed vocalizations. On our mission, we went up to Washington to an area that had habitat with patchy forest and open brushy country.  This is their preferred habitat.  Normally throughout the year, they disperse and can be VERY difficult to find.  But during their breeding season, the hormones turn the handsome males into aggressive and vocal birds.  On this rainy day, we were able to observe 2 males displaying for a female.  

Here's where I began making notes on the differences between Sooty and Dusky Grouse.  First off, the red sack on the side of their neck while displaying is a great field mark for ID.  But what else is there that makes this species different from the Sooty?  Well as mentioned, the habitat. Vocally, the male makes a softer voom voom voom. You can hear it in the video I took above. I really had to listen for it.  With the rain, it was difficult to hear.  This particular male was displaying for a nearby female who wasn't having any of it. 

I got a little sidetracked as well.  I had never seen a Townsend's Solitaire in breeding mode and defending a territory before.  Plus there were Cassin's Finches and other really cool birds in the area that I don't often get to see. 

An interesting side note about the combs above the eyes.  I had thought that the combs would be red like the sack and indeed they are red in some cases.  But in the pic above you can see the yellow-orange eye comb.  Similar to the tom turkey's beard, when the male Dusky gets going, he'll pump a little extra to get those combs to turn red like in the first pic on this post. 

                           Illusion of distance. He's actually further back on a trail as the Dusky Gtrouse passes  him by to let the female below know he's interested. 

We kept a healthy distance from the birds and didn't interrupt their displays with each other but there were times when one particular bird would follow us and we had to move back.  In this one particular location, these Dusky Grouse have been known to go after residents.  I think the one that approached me had a liking for me.  He didn't attack but was either curious or interested. Careful with your color tones on clothing.  I think red/orange catches their eyes which would make sense. 

Before, I had only seen the Dusky Grouse hiding in the shadows of the forest on branches in Greer, AZ and WA.  They are normally rather secretive.  Sometimes you'll see them on the side of the highway around the North Rim of the Grand Canyon collecting grit.  People have called them "dumb" chickens, but I assure you, there is nothing "dumb" about this difficult bird to observe in the wild.  If you're lucky enough to see one on the road feeding or hanging out on a trail during a hike, consider yourself very fortunate!

                                  a 500 mm camera allows both bird and birder to do their things

It took awhile to locate the group.  Khanh heard the soft vooom.  Then we looked up on the hillside and let our eyes adjust. 

                                                               male Dusky Grouse
With our Dusky Grouse observations complete, it was onto the similar Sooty Grouse that were also calling.  Located in higher elevations around the rainforests of the coastal Pacific mountains, we stepped out of our vehicle and instantly felt the powerful VOOM VOOM VOOMs of the male Sooty Grouse.  However, instead of a sagey, grassy hillside exposed to the sun, we were in a dense forest and the birds were calling high up. 

                                                                     male Sooty Grouse

It took us awhile to actually locate a few of the males calling.  We could hear/feel MANY of them. Some were right above our heads but inside of the tree towards the top. 

This darker sister species of the Dusky Grouse has a noticeably different colored sack around the neck.  It is very yellow. Eventually our eyes landed on the area where the loud VOOMs were emanating. And sure enough, there was a Sooty Grouse in hiding. 

Last year, we collected quite a bit of data on Sooty Grouse in Washington.  This year, we were able to get some readings in Oregon.  All of these locations are far and can be difficult to get to....so I am appreciative to Khanh for taking the time to help me really get a grasp on both of these species.  I really know my Arizona birds well but for the ones that we don't have here, it obviously requires a bit more field work and experience. 

                                                                  female Sooty Grouse 

We've followed tracks in the snow.  We've driven up to Mt. Rainier, which if you've never been, you MUST do.  That was so gorgeous.  I could spend weeks there in a cabin.  I love both habitats for these species. 

When they aren't displaying, they look like regular chicken birds and they are endemic to the western half of North America.  Many birders consider them quite special because they do take extra work to understand, but the effort is worth it.  Due to hunters, unethical photographers etc, I can't share their locations. One spot I can mention though is where they are protected on Mt. Rainier near the visitor's center.  There you might find a few Sooty Grouse along side the road. 

This year is a special one.  I'll be taking you all on some unique adventures with other birders, researchers and alone as we explore this planet's 10000+ birds around the world.  This year's focus is on the endemic or endangered birds of the Caribbean and Mexico. Next week we'll explore more of the Pacific Northwest. Again, a special thank you to my friends Robert and Khanh for taking this desert rat into their home.  Until then.....