Grouse courting

Went for groceries today. It was a nice and sunny day and after doing our shopping in town, drove to the Janet Head lighthouse to see if the North Channel was frozen. Well, it is. People were skating in the harbour just outside of the breakwall, where the ice was thick enough. Apparently the ice is really transparent out there and you can see down to the bottom. I may just have to get some skates next year and see for myself. Further out we saw a frozen North Channel. Lots of ice out there. Thickness?? Not sure. Wouldn't snowmobile on it, considering it was still open water 1 week ago. No pictures taken, either of the lighthouse, the ice, and not even of the La Cloche Mountains, since we didn't bring a decent camera to do justice to the colours and view. However we did take pictures of this with my cell phone, aiming through the sunroof and window. Didn't want to leave the car so we wouldn't disturb this courting in progress. So, not the best of pictures, but you may be able to see it all when really zooming in. At first we thought that there was a chicken on the road, but then we saw that he was a grouse and he was going for in full regalia to the three grouses in the tree. His feathers around his neck were out in full galore.

There are three females sitting in that tree, but their colours did what they were supposed to, i.e. make them merge with the background.

And here he is going of into the shrubbery where the female was awaiting.

and we drove home to give them some privacy.