Sondra and I had a very nice snow shoe hike today in Heil Valley Ranch, Boulder County Parks. A highlight was when we stopped near the Ponderosa Loop overlook to view a Townsend's Solitaire, and a male Dusky Grouse sauntered up to us through the snow. We were thinking that it was amazingly tame, when all of a sudden it started attacking our snow shoes, and then jumped up and pecked at my day pack (I might have vocalized an octave higher than usual). As we continued on, congratulating ourselves for being treated to such a special unique close encounter with nature, we came upon a pair of signs that said "Please Stay Clear of Aggressive Grouse". I see that there are posts on Facebook concerning this Grouse for at least a year now. Nevertheless, it was fun to see its subtle but striking markings so up close. On the way back down the trail (2 miles from the southern trail head) we were surprised to see a female Williamson's Sapsucker working a trunk of a Ponderosa pine tree by the trail.
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