Birds of a Feather

[[Bu...]]

I was reading a magazine article today about bird migration patterns.  Yeah, I know, it sounds a little dry, if birding isn't your thing, but please bear with me. 

It started out with general information and then went into detail, highlighting the journeys of several different species.  It talked about the thousands of perilous miles that hummingbirds will travel from the upper U.S to their winter grounds across and south of the Gulf of Mexico.  Warblers that leave summer grounds in northern arboreal forests for the far reaches of southern states, Mexico, and beyond.  Common Murres leave their nesting grounds on islands off the Alaskan coast and swim, along with their fathers (not the mothers, no one knows why), many miles south to warmer regions.  But among all of the stories of all of these truly epic undertakings, risking life and wing, one bird's journey really stood out for me.  That of the Spruce Grouse. 

It has distinct summer and winter grounds that are no more than 10 miles apart.  So this rather dapper, yet somewhat understated looking bird, sets off on its grand migratory adventure... by walking.  It's not that it can't fly, it just doesn't feel like it. So on a cool, late summer/early autumn morning it bids adieu to its summer home and starts off at a sedate pace, completing about half a mile a day.  It will reach its winter abode in a little less than 3 weeks.  

This is a bird after my own heart.  I can imagine it strolling along, enjoying the scenery, stopping to take breaks for snacks and water, just having a little sit-down now and again...before finally deciding "Meh, that's far enough for today", and settling in for a cozy afternoon and evening among the falling leaves.  Up the next day at the crack of...Eh, mid-morning... have a nice yawn and a stretch, along with a leisurely breakfast to prepare for another day of arduous travel.  

The perfect bird for this withdrawal journey.