As a kid I remember sitting in the woods hunting squirrels in the fall and hearing the grouse drum, although at that time I did not know what the sound was. I always thought it sounded like a tractor starting somewhere in the distance! Yes, grouse do drum in the fall. Matt Valencic Chagrin Falls, OH -----Original Message----- From: Ohio birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tracy Morman Sent: Friday, November 14, 2008 9:39 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [Ohio-birds] drumming grouse Hello everyone. I'm fortunate to have a few ruffed grouse roaming around my woods and recently I have noticed a little increase in their activity. I have flushed a few and heard some drumming. I thought drumming was a spring-time ritual and I was trying to remember if I had ever heard it in the fall. Last week, I saw an obviously immature grouse walking along my driveway.It was smaller and had a stubby tail and barely any crest on it's head. But the real clue that it was a youngster, was that it walked away slowly down the driveway and into the woods instead of flying away immediately. (like any other grouse would do when confronted with an approaching vehicle) Last night was a nice full moon. The woods were lit up. I stepped outside around 11PM to check it out and heard a grouse drumming! I stood there for a moment not quite believing what I had just heard, and it did it again. After about the 7th drum roll, I went back inside. Around 1:30 AM, my dogs were barking and woke me up. I went back outside and heard some deer moving around close by so I knew what was up. To my surprise, the grouse was still going strong! So my questions are: 1. Do grouse drum throughout the year? Could it be related to the photoperiod? 2. Has anyone ever heard a grouse drumming at night? and 3. Did the very bright full moon have anything to do with it? I've also heard Great-horned Owls calling the past few nights and a Screech Owl last weekend. Tracy Morman Scipio Township Meigs Co. ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]