Tricia and I spent the weekend up in The Berkshires to celebrate our anniversary. While birding was not the focus of the weekend, I did get out early both days. I chose my locations with a single target species, the elusive Ruffed Grouse. I’ll kill the suspense now and say I did not have any success with my target. But, I birded a couple of interesting spots.
On Saturday I went to Savoy Mountain State Forest, where I hiked just under 4 miles. I had mostly the usuals, but with some interesting highlights: I got excellent looks (but no photos) of a Canada Warbler, there was also a very accommodating Alder Flycatcher (a species I don’t recall ever photographing previously), and I also had a Red Crossbill fly overhead, calling as it went.
This morning I followed up on an eBird report of a Ruffed Grouse at Bridges Pond in Williamtown, MA. The birding was uneventful, but the spot was interesting only because most of the trail ran right alongside railroad tracks, so I took the opportunity to be a little creative with my photos.
Love the ruffed grouse. They will get your heart pumping when they take flight. They will always remind me of my father because of frequent encounters with them in Maine. We spent a lot of time in the north woods together.
Me too, as you can tell, although I’ve only had a handful of encounters. Thanks for sharing about you and your dad. Matt
Sorry you didn’t get the grouse , but you still got great photos ! Happy Anniversary!
Thanks Liz on both counts! Matt