: in deciduous and mixed woodland but hard to detect except when males are ‘drumming', mostly late Mar-early June but also less frequently in mid-Sept-early Nov and occasionally later. They can be conspicuous late Jan-late Mar when eating buds high in leafless birches and aspens, and their tracks are often visible in new fallen snow.
Miscellany: Male grouse ‘drum,' most frequently in the early morning, from a sturdy low perch, often a log. They create a kind of sonic boom by rapidly moving their wings backward, slowly at first but blurringly fast at the end. The whole display takes about 10 seconds. See a YouTube video here.
Last Updated: April 28th, 2022