Spruce Grouse male

Not posted for photographic quality, obviously, but this was the first male Spruce Grouse I had ever seen. Thrilled to bits! Friends ahead on the forest trail yesterday morning noticed it and I was lucky enough to get just one rapid shot of it before it disappeared : )

"A bird of coniferous forests, the Spruce Grouse inhabits much of Canada and portions of the northern United States. Inconspicuous and relatively quiet, it feeds largely on the needles of spruces and other conifers." From AllAboutBirds.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spruce_Grouse

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Spruce_Grouse/id

youtu.be/3HIb5DME1GA

I'm so glad that this trip - a morning mushroom foray at West Bragg Creek - was held yesterday and not today. The weather was beautiful yesterday; today is overcast. Four of us went west of Calgary, to the West Bragg Creek area, in Kananaskis. We managed to find a few interesting and photogenic mushrooms. With so many places either still closed or totally devastated, outings and walks since the Alberta Flood of the Century in June have had to be cancelled. Our outing yesterday was doubly delightful, after we've been so limited the last couple of months. Thanks for leading us, Karel!

After this walk, I was so close to the Elbow Falls Trail (highway 66), that, on the spur of the moment, I turned right instead of left and headed off in the direction of Forgetmenot Pond. This mountainous road is the only one I will drive, so it always feels good to get out there. The other week, I had tried, but the road was closed, due to flood damage, past Maclean Pond. Yesterday, the road was open, but there was a long wait at a temporary traffic light just past Maclean Pond, where the bridge was still standing, but the embankments had been totally washed away. What destruction! Also called in at Allen Bill Pond - now just a heap of gravel with a few water channels through it. Totally destroyed. I think half of Calgary must have had the same idea as I had, as everywhere was packed. So many cars at Elbow Falls that I decided not to bother. Forgetmenot Pond was extremely busy, too, so it was impossible to get photos without people in them. Some of the path around the lake had been washed away and the whole area of trees and plants near the pond were now covered in a layer of silt. The area was still looking beautiful, though, and safe to visit. I only get down there maybe twice a year, and normally I would never go on a Saturday or Sunday.