10/4/10 – Yesterday morning, I heard a commotion in the shower house as I was walking in to open the store. A young grouse was trapped in the laundry room. Apparently, it walked in the open door, then decided to fly out through the screens by the ceiling and couldn’t figure it out.
I backed it into a high corner and climbed up on a table. When I reached out, it comically tucked it’s head under it’s wing with a very clear “don’t hurt me” attitude. I got it gently in hand and took it outside. Our two terriers were very interested, so I carefully lofted the poor grouse into the air, so it could fly to safety. To my surprise and consternation, it dropped like a rock and hit the ground with a thud. Phoebe was immediately on it, pinning it down with her paws and ready to have it for breakfast. With some frantic commands, I managed to distract her so I could rescue the dazed bird. I decided to put it on a balsam branch out of terrier reach. It immediately fell off the branch, again was pinned down by Phoebe – and another scramble to rescue it.
I guessed that dehydration and stress were causing it’s disorientation, so I sequestered the terriers in the store and carried the grouse down to the lake shore. It walked off in apparent good health and will be safe from hunters in the campground. – Bill