LOCAL VIBE
This ‘n’ That … Whistler Style
If you’re near a wooded area in the Sea to Sky Corridor and you hear a low-pitched drumming sound — or even something that sounds like an old Model T car starting up — chances are good that you’re hearing the grouse, a mostly ground-dwelling bird that’s about the size of a chicken.
The Whistler area is home to at least three species of grouse — four, if you’re among those who feel the determination made in recent years about two slightly different types of blue grouse being separate species (sooty and dusky) was correct.
“The dusky and the sooty were once considered just different forms of a blue grouse, and the experts have decided that they’re different species, but I’m not convinced,” said Whistler-based naturalist Karl Ricker, who believes that despite slight differences in appearance, the distinction is primarily geographic.
“You see the sooty ones here, and the dusky ones in Pemberton and farther into the interior,” said local birdwatcher Heather Baines. The ruffed grouse, which has a distinctive, black “ruff” of feathers on its head and back, and the spruce grouse are the two other species found around Whistler.
It’s common to see and hear them near forested areas in March and early April. The drumming sound of the males — starting slowly and reaching a more rapid crescendo (hence Ricker’s comparison to the sound of a Model T starting up) — is part of its mating ritual. It’s made by the bird flapping its wings against its body, often while standing on a resonant structure such as an old log.
In the warmer months, it’s common to mistake a grouse for a ptarmigan, a bird of similar shape and size. Ptarmigans, however, change colours to white in winter, while grouse remain brown or slate grey year-round, Baines said. Grouse don’t hibernate, but it’s less common to see or hear them in December, January and February, as they tend to stay back in the forest, at lower elevations. Because they nest on the ground, grouse can be quite territorial and occasionally become aggressive toward perceived invaders — including humans. According to Baines, grouse that become aggressive are often defending a clutch of eggs from the many predators that can threaten their soon-to-be hatchlings. At other times, they’re just curious or even thirsty.