Blue Grouse Displaying, take 2

[Tom Reichner]

I was so awestruck with the displaying Blue Grouse a few weeks ago that I just had to go back and try to photograph them again, before this unique behavior is over for the year.  The grouse did not disappoint me!  They even did something unexpected.  The first morning I was there, there was very little activity - I saw only one male.   He had a hen in front of him, and was displaying, but only halfheartedly.  I thought the trip would be a bust.  But I stuck it out and decided to go ahead and stay one more day, as I had originally planned.  

Well, when I was out in the evening primarily looking for foxes, there was a grouse right along the road, chasing a hen.  So I got out and pursued the pair with my camera as the hen led away from the road and up a snow covered slope.  They provided some very nice opportunities for several minutes, and then flew off into the timber and landed way up high in the trees.  I was psyched! Blue Grouse displaying late in the day with wonderful evening light - could it get any better than that?!   Yes, it could.  

After leaving that area, in only about 5 minutes I came across another grouse.  This one was a female, but I decided to stop and photograph her, as I feel that any grouse is photo worthy.  Besides, that soft, warm evening light was awfully nice.  So I set up the tripod and the big lens and started shooting her as she fed on a hillside which was conveniently sloped toward the westering sun.  About 10 minutes into the shoot, I hear "booming" (the sound that a displaying male makes) come from the high ridge above me.  In just a few minutes, I was rewarded with a male grouse strutting down the slope, in full pursuit mode - and his objective was the hen I was shooting!  

He came right down to our level and started chasing the hen around.  She led him everywhere, giving me a great variety of habitat, angles, and backgrounds.  One minute they'd be on the snow, with fir trees all around them.  The next they'd be out on an open snowfield.  Then she'd lead him back onto the open grassy slope, where at times they were skylined against a beautiful deep blue sky.  And all this in that wonderful evening light!  

To make things even more interesting, another hen wandered into the area, with her own male chasing her around in hot pursuit.  Two pairs of Blue Grouse running all around me!  They paid me no mind whatsoever - it was like I didn't exist.  They would run right in my direction, getting so darn close that my lens wouldn't even focus on them at times.  

This whole episode lasted for quite some time.  The first pair I found along the road at 6pm, and the two pairs displayed until 8pm.  So I had active subjects in great light for two full hours!  I took hundreds of images, and it took hours and hours to go thru them all and pick out the best ones.  Fortunately, because the light was so good, there was very little editing that had to be done, so there was not much time spent tinkering with the pics.  I feel it's always better to get the picture right 'in the camera' instead of trying to make an average picture look great later on by using Photoshop.  

The next morning I returned to the scene, and after a few hours of searching for grouse, found only a couple hens feeding along the road.  No males, and no displaying at all.  No wonder - they were all exhausted after displaying so vigorously the evening before.  I would love to return to photograph them one more time before they are finished displaying for the year, but I don't think I will be able to.  It's a long drive, and other destinations await.  But I'll definitely be back again next spring to do it all over again!

[boneaddict]

Very cool experience.  They are at it oftly late this year.  I thought it would all be wrapped up by now and you'd be photographing chicks.  They are already hatching in a lot of neighborhoods where they hang out.   

[shanevg]

Those are some incredible pictures.  What time of the year specifically are they doing this?  I would love to get into one of my hunting spots that has a lot of blue grouse and try to witness this.

[Tom Reichner]

Those are some incredible pictures.  What time of the year specifically are they doing this?  I would love to get into one of my hunting spots that has a lot of blue grouse and try to witness this.

These pics were taken last Thursday - June 4th.  Yep - just 5 days ago!  I'm sure they're still at it, at least up high where there's still snow.  They're the last of our grouse species to breed (unless Spruce Grouse are later - I'm not familiar with them yet).  With Sage Grouse starting in mid-March, and Blue Grouse not wrapping it up until mid-June, here in WA we get almost 3 full months of displaying grouse photo opportunities!

[popeshawnpaul]

Great photos Tom as always.  Love the one from behind with the eye just visible.  Creative composition.

[Tom Reichner]

Great photos Tom as always.  Love the one from behind with the eye just visible.  Creative composition.

Thanks, Shawn

It was hard to maintain focus on that eye - the angle wasn't giving me much to lock in on, and he was in motion at the time.  I have a couple with the tail in focus by mistake, and a few with the background snow mistakenly in focus.  Got lucky to have this one with the eye. 

[Skyvalhunter]

Very nice pics thanks for posting them

[Ricochet]

Great shots, Tom.  You definitely made the most of your opportunity, awesome!

[Slider]

Very Nice pic series!!!

[bowhunterforever]

Great photos Tom as always.  Love the one from behind with the eye just visible.  Creative composition.

  Awsome

[jager]

Beautiful pics!

Too bad they aren't that impressive looking all year long!

[chukar-ridge-quest]

Well done sir.

[markts]

Those are great shots. Believe it or not, I have been hunting for over 30 years and this year is the first year I have seen this display first hand. Thanks Mark

[JBar]

Wow! Those are some cool pic's! 

[PacificNWhunter]

Great pictures.