[Birdtalk] Battle Creek hike (UT Co.)

[Kristin Purdy]

Colby,

I suspect the wing fluttering noises you heard were from the Blue (Dusky) 
Grouse. They occupy territories that are considered exploded leks, in other 
words, individual birds space themselves far apart, but still within hearing 
range of each other. Not only do Dusky Grouse hoot when they expand and 
contract their cervical apteria, but they also do what's called flutter 
flights or wing rips. The five-note hooting sound may not carry farther than 
about 50 meters (so if you hear it, find that bird! You're close!), but the 
flutter flights are almost a cracking flap and they carry far enough to be 
heard by the other males in the area. The farthest distance I've heard a 
wing rip that I know for sure was two-tenths of a mile.

When I've watched a particular male hoot, he would perform the wing rip in 
response to another bird farther away that did it. Or the other bird would 
hear my bird and I heard his responding wing rip. The grouse launches 
himself into the air to a height of 3-4 feet and basically does a back flip 
while flapping harder with one wing than the other. The uneven flap makes 
him flip crookedly, but the wing motion is so strong and quick that the beat 
is pretty loud and cracking. He lands in about the same place as where he 
started.

The flutter flight also happens when the light is dim--either right at first 
or last light. Researchers who have studied this have found that the males 
perform the wing rip at a particular candle power of light. I've also heard 
the rip when it was almost too dark to see above the snow line on the road 
to Tony Grove Campground; the next sound (and sight) against the sky was the 
grouse going to roost in a fir.

In addition to the hooting and flapping sounds, I've also seen three males 
converge on a hen and "my" main bird made a resounding noise called the 
pre-copulatory call. Officially, it's described as "Whoot", but my 
interpretation (seriously) was "BOINK"!  OK, you can laugh now.

Kris
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Colby Neuman
  To: birdtalk
  Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 5:40 PM
  Subject: [Birdtalk] Battle Creek hike (UT Co.)


  Hi all,

  I hiked up Battle Creek (on the west side of Mt. Timpanogos) in Utah 
County early this morning.  A number of RUFFED and BLUE GROUSE were drumming 
at dawn at about 7000' (where the trail comes out of the canyon and onto the 
bench).  There were also apparent wing fluttery noises that I haven't heard 
before coming from multiple directions that I assume were Ruffed Grouse as 
well, but I'm not sure?  FOX SPARROWS, ROBINS and my first on territory 
HERMIT THRUSH were singing their hearts out at about 5:15-5:30 AM in the 
same area.  A couple PLUMBEOUS VIREOS, VIRGINIA'S WARBLERS, my first HOUSE 
WREN of the year, a GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE, and a BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK were 
singing at the trailhead or in the first couple hundred yards of the trail 
later in the morning.  I unfortunately had already bailed, but my friend 
said there were noisy birds flying around the snow in the N. Fork of Battle 
Creek just down from the summit of Mt. Timpanogos at about 
11000-11500'...presumably BLACK ROSY-FINCHES.

  Colby



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