Biology:

Sooty Grouse inhabit open conifer or mixed conifer/hardwood forests in the mountains of western North America from the Yukon Territory south through the Cascade range and Sierra Nevada.

Often known as the "Fool Hen", Sooty Grouse may be easily approached. Males in the spring become highly territorial and at times will attempt to drive intruders, even human ones, from their territory. The deep booming hoots of a courting male Sooty Grouse are audible for many yards but because they are so low in pitch, the bird itself can be extremely difficult to find. The nest is a scrape lined with pine needles and grass, usually sheltered by a stump or rock. A typical clutch is 5 to 10 cream-colored eggs, lightly spotted with brown. In summer the Sooty Grouse feeds on insects, berries and seeds; in winter the diet is exclusively conifer needles.

Photographic notes:

Most of my Sooty Grouse photographs were made in Yosemite National Park at Glacier Point. I've also sighted this species in a patch of woods below Yosemite's Olmsted Point, the Trinity Alps wilderness area of Shasta-Trinity National Forest, and in extreme northwest British Columbia.

	Glacier Point, Yosemite Leicaflex SL, 280mm f/4 APO-Telyt-R, Fujichrome Provia 400F
	Glacier Point, Yosemite Leicaflex SL, 280mm f/4 APO-Telyt-R, Fujichrome Provia 400F
	Glacier Point, Yosemite Leica R8, 280mm f/4 APO-Telyt-R, Kodak E100G