Winter Visitor This woodland species, the Ruffed Grouse, has been spending time in our forest. The winter visitor has also been a regular below the seed tray feeder and suet stations, dining on fare scattered by the Northern Flickers, Chickadees and Nuthatches. ~ Anecdote and Ruffed Grouse capture, Winter Visitor © Jerry L. Ferrara
A Standout Many years ago when we first settled in Idaho it was fairly common to see Ruffed Grouse discreetly stalking the nearby forests, or hear a male drumming its wings from a secluded woodlot. Those incidences seem less frequent today. This winter, however, we’ve had a few visitations from a grouse going about exploring our yard. The Ruffed Grouse is a native game bird species and a master of deception. Its dappled feathering and extremely slow, furtive gait makes this avian character difficult to detect as it easily melts into the woodland understory. In today’s image “our visitor” pensively poses on a mound of snow. As you can see, its concealment techniques have failed as the camera captured the wily creature on the white surface against the dark shadows of our woods. This Ruffed Grouse was a standout. ~ Anecdote and Ruffed Grouse capture, A Standout © Jerry L. Ferrara
State-of-the-Art Z9 On December 24th, 2021, I was pleased to receive my copy of the much anticipated state-of-the-art Nikon Z9 mirrorless camera, the manufacturer’s newest flagship “image-making machine”. Over the days following receipt I’ve configured and worked with the instrument, often during challenging lighting and environmental conditions [temps ranging from 7º to 14º F, contrasty as well as low light levels and rain/snow storms. While I haven’t yet come close to tapping the full capacity of the camera’s features, it is proving to be an outstanding product and tool. Kudos, Nikon! ~ Anecdote and Idaho Wildlife/Nature images, State-of-the-Art Z9 © Jerry L. Ferrara