It is very fortunate for birders and wildlife photographers that Spruce Grouse like to forage along roadsides. If we had to blindly wander around the bogs and boreal forests of the North Woods in search of them, we may never see one! In fact, in fall they become even more visible along the dirt byways of the Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota. I’m not saying you can count on seeing one on every outing, but put on enough backroad miles during early morning hours, and your odds are pretty good.

These photos are all from late September and early October in the Superior National Forest of northern Minnesota.
Winter buries the landscape and Spruce Grouse adapt quite nicely to the new and harsh conditions. Sprouting scales on their toes, the grouse effectively double the surface area of their feet, which is a great aid in walking over deep fluffy snow. Their food preference changes from bugs, buds, leaves and berries to a strict diet of spruce and jack pine needles.

Spruce Grouse male Stoney River Forest Road Road Superior National Forest Lake Co MN IMG_2492[Male Spruce Grouse, Superior National Forest, Lake County, Minnesota]
I found this cooperative male while he was foraging along the road edge. I got a few “insurance shots” from a distance, then slowly worked my way closer. I crawled on my knees then would drop down to my belly to get eye level shots. I repeated this about every 10 feet until he filled the frame!

Spruce Grouse male Stoney River Forest Road Road Superior National Forest Lake Co MN IMG_2474[Male Spruce Grouse, Superior National Forest, Lake County, Minnesota]
I just used my pop-up flash to fill in some shadows and reveal the true colors of the bird. Sometimes when a bird is in the shade, and your camera is set to auto White Balance, your photos (including the bird) will look quite blue. Flash helps this. You may have to fix the eye reflection later in Photoshop, but that only takes a few seconds.

Spruce Grouse male Stoney River Forest Road Road Superior National Forest Lake Co MN IMG_2486[Male Spruce Grouse, Superior National Forest, Lake County, Minnesota]

Spruce Grouse female hen Sawbill Landing Road Superior National Forest Lake Co MN IMG_2509[Female (hen) Spruce Grouse, Superior National Forest, Lake County, Minnesota]
Hen Spruce Grouse are arguably as attractive as the males…albeit in subtler tones.

Spruce Grouse female hen Sawbill Landing Road Superior National Forest Lake Co MN IMG_2595[Female (hen) Spruce Grouse, Superior National Forest, Lake County, Minnesota]
After a passing hunter in a truck spooked her, she only flew a short ways up into a nearby spruce. She let me photograph and video her for quite a while. A fantastic treat!

Spruce Grouse female hen Sawbill Landing Road Superior National Forest Lake Co MN IMG_2609[Female (hen) Spruce Grouse, Superior National Forest, Lake County, Minnesota]

Spruce Grouse female hen Sawbill Landing Road Superior National Forest Lake Co MN IMG_2588[Female (hen) Spruce Grouse, Superior National Forest, Lake County, Minnesota]

Spruce Grouse female hen Sawbill Landing Road Superior National Forest Lake Co MN IMG_2573[Female (hen) Spruce Grouse, Superior National Forest, Lake County, Minnesota]
A portrait can really be enhanced with a touch of color. I positioned myself so that some background yellow aspen leaves would make a colorful blob behind the hen’s head.

Spruce Grouse Stoney River Forest Road Superior National Forest Lake Co MN IMG_0921 Logging trucks are a real hazard to foraging Spruce Grouse. Their trusting nature often keeps them on the roads longer than they should.