During a long cold snap in eastern Montana, a large group of sharp-tailed grouse came into town and began showing up in tall trees and backyards, feeding alongside other winter birds. This grouse, along with a few others, flew into trees near my house. I was able to watch this particular grouse spend a long afternoon in my backyard in the frigid temperatures, eating leaf buds off the tree limbs. I was able to get quite a few photos, but this remained one of my favorites, with the sun hitting the grouse’s orange eye and the deep blue sky in the background.
During a long cold snap in eastern Montana, a large group of sharp-tailed grouse came into town and began showing up in tall trees and backyards, feeding alongside other winter birds. This grouse, along with a few others, flew into trees near my house. I was able to watch this particular grouse spend a long afternoon in my backyard in the frigid temperatures, eating leaf buds off the tree limbs. I was able to get quite a few photos, but this remained one of my favorites, with the sun hitting the grouse’s orange eye and the deep blue sky in the background.