Ruffed grouse. Or maybe small dinosaur. Or ferrel forest chicken. . Grouse have startled me more often than any other animal. They can be hard to spot and a bunch of times I've walked right up on one hiding behind a bush and it only flies off when I'm within a few feet. Since they're pretty big, it's pretty loud when they take flight. Big flapping ruckus jump scares are their specialty. Also, they often make weird monster-like sounds and especially when I was younger and didn't associate the sound with these silly sasquatch chickens, I'd get nervous hearing them. . I guess that's about all I have to say about grouse. How about this heat!? Hope wherever you live doesn't catch (or hasn't already caught) fire. I personally am like, mid-combustion. Can't sleep, can't work, just sweat and watch birds. . Oh, also, I took these pictures near a cool meadow where two endangered plants grow. It's protected, for good reason, but unfortunately that meant that I couldn't find an accessible spot to take a pretty picture. And the endangered flower I was after didn't seem to be blooming. . . . #grouse #ruffedgrouse #audubonsociety #coolbird #coolbirds #bestbirdshots #birdzoid #birdboy #birdnerd #birding #birders #leavenworth (at Camas Land) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQei3fgASux/?utm_medium=tumblr
