This past Saturday I went for a LONG ride in countryside south and west of Saskatoon. I’d plotted out a number of areas to visit that I’d never been to before, but both maps and Google Earth assured me were wetlands. I was hoping to maybe spot some migratory birds heading south. Instead it was a hot and dreary ride and every one of the areas I visited were entirely dried up and there were no birds to be seen at any of them…
Along one dusty summer road a flight to Sharp-Tailed Grouse furiously took to flight at my approach, startling me. As they only flew a short distance ahead, the moment was repeated several times - though during the supplementary bursts into flight I had my camera ready and caught a few in frame… grainy and out of focus, a couple were good enough to clearly identify and use as reference for drawing.
Sharp-Tailed Grouse in the Birbs of Saskatchetoon 2022 Sketchbook (Volume Two!)
No birb in this last picture... just where I left my bike to chase after them.
Nice landscape!
ReplyDeleteYeah, some birds like grouse can make a lot of noise with their wings when they take off suddenly. I always wondered if it was some sort of defense mechanism, to startle would be predators. I know birds like quail and doves do that, too.