I did a series of three relatively short hikes today, looking for "covers" that might hold Dusky grouse. Got my daypack together and set out on the Forest Service road my campsite is on here in the BLM Strawberry Recreational Area. I walked down into a ravine that had appeared to have suffered a small wildfire or maybe a controlled burn. The forest floor looked as though someone had picked up all the deadwood and assembled it into relatively neat piles.(see pic). Either that or the forest creatures are planning a huge bonfire.
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| Monet-nspired "haystacks"? |
As I turned to go back up the road, I heard a pickup truck approaching and moved to the side. As he rounded the corner, a Dusky grouse flushed up into a tree (see pic). He just sat there on a pine bow as I approached for a picture. Snapped it and he flew off down the very steep hill. No other flushes after that but I did find several mistakes on Google Maps and Gaia GPS. The latter was missing a FS altogether and GM mislabeled one of the roads.
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| Dusky hiding on a branch on the left. |
Tomorrow, I want to try fishing the Fraser River in the canyon. There are three separate parking lots that can take 5-7 cars each so it's evidently super popular. The trail is about a mile long but it gives you access to about 10 miles of river that only guides on float trips can get to.
I'll do some more Dusky scouring in the AM as that's the best time to spot them.
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