Hiding Behind A Twig

    The Ruffed Grouse is a chicken-like bird that likes to scratch around in the bush here in BC.  Like chickens, they aren’t always the smartest thing on two legs.  I saw one this morning as Skye and I were walking across the little plank bridge at the outflow of my pond.  You can see from the photo that they are amazingly well camouflaged, but for added protection this one scampered over to hide and because there was a twig in front of its face it thought that it was hidden from view.

    Grouse often can be seen standing stark still in the middle of a road.  They have so much faith in their camouflage that they think if they stand still no one can see them, even when they are surrounded by pavement.  Of course, many are killed on the road, but in the bush, standing still has been a successful strategy for millions of years.

Take a look at my photo-like paintings:  www.davidmarchant.ca