[Richard Flanders]

I went out the basement door a bit ago, with my trusty Savage in hand, to 'educate' a marauding red squirrel, and found, much to my dismay, that a grouse had committed "suicide by picture window" and was on his back in a pile of seeds. Not just any grouse, this is the big mature male that has been coming to my feeder for two years and had attained a well-earned position of "king of the roost" in my little preserve. What a shame. He was destined for such greatness in the grouse world this summer. Big and strong and very well fed, he was, I'm sure ready for action. The rest of the bunch seem to have gone on their spring walkabout looking for a summer area, but this guy seems to have chosen to remain here. I have been hoping to hear him drumming in my woodlot, despite all the good drumming logs still being covered in deep snow. It must have happened but a few hours ago. as he's barely cooled down. If I were into mounting birds, this would be stunning specimen. What a shame, a "lower the flag to half mast" event.