This Ruffed Grouse Has Me On Edge

THIS RUFFED GROUSE HAS ME ON EDGE  

February/March, 2014 issue  
I  have never killed a bird intentionally. However, there is one along the   road I walk every morning whose days may be numbered. 
  
 The  bird is a ruffed grouse that purposely waits for me in the branches of   a roadside ironwood tree every morning. It is very dark these mornings,  so I  can’t spot it in order to prepare myself. With an explosion of  whirring wings,  it flies directly in front of me to a maple on the  other side of the road,  missing me by inches. Sometimes there are two,  strategically spaced, as though  purposely, to produce the greatest  effect. 
  
 I  walk this road every day in the crispness of early morning and bask in   the absolute stillness that accents this road most days. I started my  walk 30  minutes early this morning, at 5:15 a.m., with the thought that  I could pass the  tree before the two ruffed grouse realized that I had  arrived. They were waiting  for me. This time I was sure that I could  feel the wing tips grazing my coat as  they ambushed me, yet again. In  the darkness I could hear a faint chorkle. Bird  guides would have us  believe that it is just one of several sounds that it makes  from its  somewhat primitive vocal apparatus; my interpretation is somewhat   different.
  
 Mornings  are special along this road. Both the Big and Little Dippers hang   suspended in the sky, their images extraordinarily sharp despite  considerable  illumination from the moon. Recent mornings have produced  the deep booming hoots  of the great horned owl. Incredibly, with snow  still thick in the woods and  frost tingeing the branches, the owls are  now actively nesting. They must nest  early as their eggs need to be  incubated for more than a month, and the owlets  don’t roam from the  nest for another two months. By then, it will be May, and it  could  still be awhile before the owlets take flight.
  
 Surprises  like the grouse make the walk more interesting. Last year at this   time, it was a screech owl whose descending whinny from a grove of  poplars  caught me my surprise. One morning, the LED beam of my headlamp  affixed to my  forehead revealed the image of a coyote as it crossed  the road less than 10  metres in front of me. It had come from the ice  on the Bay of Quinte and  disappeared out of sight between two houses,  barely giving me a second glance.  It was a heart stopping moment,  almost ethereal, as it was so unexpected. He was  so quiet that my dog  didn’t even notice him, as though he had been walking on a  cushion of  morning air. 
  
 The  bay was uneventful this winter. I did not hear the usual rumbling   associated with the ice rending itself in response to changing  temperatures.  There was no heaving, and no pressure cracks that I could  see. Was this due to  consistently cold overnight and daytime  temperatures this winter creating no  significant changes? Only the bay  has the answer. In a few short weeks, the  relevancy of the mystery will  have less importance as the ice turns black and  begins its journey in a  convoluted route to Lake Ontario. 
  
 What  we have had this past winter was a somewhat new phenomenon known as   frost quakes, aka cryoseism, miniature seismic events that resulted from  the  expansion of ice during a sudden cool down. And we experienced  several of those  this winter, sending home owners in their night attire  out into the frigid  temperatures to see what had hit the house.  Miniature crevices appeared in the  snow the length of farm fields as  the ground rebelled from the sudden freezing  of water soaked surfaces  and substrates. It was particularly unnerving when the  frost quake  occurred on the roof top because of the accumulated ice from the  storm  in late December. We also learned another new term, polar vortex, an   Arctic air mass that brought us very cold temperatures. Interesting  buzzwords  that we have added to our vocabulary this winter. These were  all weather  extremes that I witnessed on my morning walks. 
  
 As  I return home, a hint of daylight is appearing on the horizon. A male   cardinal calls from deep within the red cedars. Mnemonics suggest the  male is  singing “cheer-cheer-cheer” as he establishes his territory. Is  it  anthropomorphic for us to imagine that he is simply singing for  happy? Happy  that winter is on the wane and longer days, slightly  warmer temperatures and a  hint of greening on the conifers suggesting  that another spring is about to  arrive, perhaps in spurts as though  unsure of its welcome. 
  
 Deeper  in these same cedar woods, at least a half dozen robins are  stirring.  They were here all winter as I have bumped into them often during my   morning walks. Lots of wild fruit hanging on the trees for them this  winter.  Very soon, the first song sparrow of the season will erupt into  its varied  repertoire. Horned larks have been here for some weeks. An  optimistic killdeer  may show up in late February. 
  
 In  the weeks to come, this same road will burst with song as towhees,   savannah sparrows and flycatchers accent the air with their individual  songs. No  longer will I need to dash to one side as the snowplow  approaches. Instead, it  will be sidestepping puddles. The ruffed grouse  hopefully will be nesting by  then.
  
 For more information on birding and nature and guided hikes, check out the  NatureStuff website at www.naturestuff.net 
  
 Terry Sprague lives in Prince Edward County and is self-employed as a  professional interpretive naturalist.