2305_0831 Grouse Attack!
Here's an unusual moment, something I could never have anticipated. A Richardson's Ground Squirrel (aka "gopher" - it's a squirrel, though) wandered onto the lek where Sharp-tailed Grouse were in full display, vying for the privilege of mating with one of the female spectators. It's true: the females watch, and select their personal hero from the dancers and combatants.
One of the grouse took exception to the rodent incursion and went into battle mode, and just as it flapped into the air to attack from above, the ground squirrel leaped into the air, too. Lacking wings, it didn't accomplish much from this maneuver, and the grouse administered a thrashing that finally routed the little interloper. Judging from the healed mark just below its eye - about the size of that pointy grouse bill - I would say this squirrel has had previous "experience" dealing with angry birds. Has it learned anything? This seems unlikely. Such is life near the bottom of the food chain.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
2305_0831 Grouse Attack!
Here's an unusual moment, something I could never have anticipated. A Richardson's Ground Squirrel (aka "gopher" - it's a squirrel, though) wandered onto the lek where Sharp-tailed Grouse were in full display, vying for the privilege of mating with one of the female spectators. It's true: the females watch, and select their personal hero from the dancers and combatants.
One of the grouse took exception to the rodent incursion and went into battle mode, and just as it flapped into the air to attack from above, the ground squirrel leaped into the air, too. Lacking wings, it didn't accomplish much from this maneuver, and the grouse administered a thrashing that finally routed the little interloper. Judging from the healed mark just below its eye - about the size of that pointy grouse bill - I would say this squirrel has had previous "experience" dealing with angry birds. Has it learned anything? This seems unlikely. Such is life near the bottom of the food chain.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.