During our week of hiking on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we found that the northern forests are relatively quiet in November. Of course, most of the summer songbirds have departed for warmer climes, taking their musical voices with them.
Blue jays were the most vocal permanent residents, their raucous calls echoing through the forest, and we encountered the occasional flock of chickadees and nuthatches. Woodpeckers were seemingly on vacation and red squirrels were the only vocal mammals, especially if we got too close to their winter cache. On the other hand, ruffed grouse were rather common, usually flushing from the forest undergrowth as we approached.
Permanent residents across Alaska, Canada, the northern U.S. and southward through the mountain corridors, ruffed grouse are medium-sized game birds, perhaps best known for the male's distinctive "drumming" in early spring. Females often have young in tow during the summer months but these grouse tend to be solitary for most of the year. Usually found in mixed forests, they feed on a wide variety of seeds, nuts, insects and buds. It was certainly a pleasure to observe them this week, however brief our encounters.
