Not a Chicken

A couple of days ago I was looking out the front window and saw a bird that looked quite like a chicken.  It was about half the size of my hens and  was a color that I did not have, so I thought we had a rogue chicken in our yard.  Decided to go get the binoculars, because even with my glasses on I cannot see any distance, and found it was not a chicken at all.

 The description starts "A brown chicken-like bird".  This is the first Ruffed Grouse we have seen on our property even though they live in deep woods and we are surrounded by woods.  We have a Birds of Michigan Field Guide that we write down where and the date we see a bird on our land.  There is a spot in the back to place a check by the name but hubs and I wanted something more to remember where and when we saw it. 

It is really surprising that some birds that are listed as popular in our area we have only spotted once.  Our oldest grandson is visiting this weekend.  He is working on a list of chores to earn money for a parrot  that he wants to buy.  He needs to save quite a bit and has blisters on his hands from raking neighbors lawns in his neighborhood.  What a trooper. 

Wishing you a wonderful weekend and many blessings from our home in the woods.