Spruce grouse found in Bangor

David Crouse had an unusual experience last week. He lives in a built-up part of Bangor near Broadway. He found a spruce grouse in his back yard.

It was the first time David had seen a spruce grouse, but he had seen the similar ruffed grouse, aka the partridge. He knew this bird was not a ruffed grouse. This bird had an orange band on the end of its black tail, and red “combs” on the side of its head, just above the eye. The rest of its body was barred or black.

The spruce grouse is a bird species that most intermediate birders in the Bangor area have never seen, and would love to see. They are hard to find. Even in their habitat, spruce and fir forests, spruce grouse density is low. The nearest places to Bangor where they live are the edge of the Orono Bog and the Hermon Bog. Thousands of people walk on the Orono Bog Boardwalk every year, but none has seen a spruce grouse there yet. Maybe someone will this year.

As the grouse flies, the Orono and Hermon bogs are only about four miles from David’s house. The literature of ornithology mentions 4 miles as the typical distance a first year male spruce grouse disperses, that is, leaves his natal area to set up his own territory.

The best habitat has living spruce and fir branches from the ground up to 15 feet high, interspersed with blueberry and huckleberry shrubs. This male spruce grouse did not find the habitat it was looking for in David’s yard.

After the bird left, David noticed that a window in his shed was broken, presumably by the spruce grouse. Let’s hope the bird recovered and found a spruce forest with lots of low branches and blueberries, where a female spruce grouse will find him in his new territory.

Birders in the Bangor area spotted black-and-white, and black-throated green warblers last week. This week, watch for yellow warblers and chestnut-sided warblers. Also, watch for the stunning redstart, a hyperactive little bundle of energy, colored shiny black with flashes of orange.

The Fields Pond Audubon Center has bird walks for beginning birdwatchers, throughout May. Leaders will help participants find and identify feathered gems. For a schedule, call the Fields Pond Audubon Center at 989-2591.