Spruce Grouse around Kemptville?

[Fox]

I have never seen a spruce grouse down this way but last night I grabbed my trail camera and there was a picture of what sure as heck looked like a spruce grouse.

The bird is very dark, no crest on its head but I have never seen one around here before.

The area has lots of ruff grouse, the bush is mixed with cedar, tamarack, maple, birdh, apple, popular, pear, pretty much every type of tree native to the area is here and mixed in meadows too.

[Dythbringer]

It wasn't a spruce grouse. It was a cougar.

[MikePal]

I was going to say, lots of grouse here....I hunt in a spruce forest but couldn't tell you the difference (spruce vs ruffed) between the females without my autobahn society book sitting on my lap

[rf2]

Probably just a ruffed grouse. Post the picture.

[Fox]

Ruff

http://www.hww.ca/kaboom/images/Bird...ane-Walker.jpg

Spruce

http://i1.treknature.com/photos/5323/spruce_grouse.jpg

It could be a ruff, but it is really dark, the majority of the ruff grouse I shoot are brown to a lighter tan.

I will post the pic this weekend.

Ya Mike, lots of grouse around, should not advertise though :P

[yellow dog]

Ruff

http://www.hww.ca/kaboom/images/Bird...ane-Walker.jpg

Spruce

http://i1.treknature.com/photos/5323/spruce_grouse.jpg

It could be a ruff, but it is really dark, the majority of the ruff grouse I shoot are brown to a lighter tan.

I will post the pic this weekend.

Ya Mike, lots of grouse around, should not advertise though :P

Could be Fox...one of the guys i use to work with at the Municipal Complex Kemptville said many years ago they use to hunt them in the Winchester area.

[Fox]

Here is the photo, very dark bird.

grouse.jpg

[fishhawk]

That's a ruffed grouse, you can see the band on the tail.

[Fox]

That's a ruffed grouse, you can see the band on the tail.

Really dark with no crest, I do see the band though now.

[NorthernGrouse]

Yeah that is a ruffy. The eye is not that of a spruce, the tail is too long for a spruce, and as already pointed out the tail is banded.

Good photo, I can't wait for the opener