iN VIDEO: Vernon hiker confronted with ornery sharp-tailed grouse

A hiker on a trail in Vernon got a surprise earlier this month when she was confronted by a territorial, and very vocal, sharp-tailed grouse.

The huffy little bird was on a section of Goose Lake Trail that runs through the newly opened Goose Lake Range Park between Swan Lake and Okanagan Lake.

Education coordinator with the Grasslands Conservation Council of BC, Heidi Wismath, was out filming scotch thistle, Jan. 14, when a female grouse approached her making a series of vocalizations and running toward her shins.  

“Working for the grasslands this was not my first interaction with a grouse, the females will defend nests fairly aggressively,” she said.

“This female probably had eggs nearby. She saw me setting up my camera and thought well, this can’t be good. She came out and checked me out and got very close and by the time I was thinking either you are used to people or I am doing something wrong she started coming after my legs.”

Wismath was able to capture a video of the busy bird as it ran toward her before quickly leaving to film somewhere else.

“She didn’t get me in the shins, I stuck out my foot so she didn’t properly attack me,” she said. ”I got out of her space and she followed me a little bit after that. They are nesting in the area, so I give them their space.”

Sharp-tailed grouse are tubby, chickenlike birds with small heads, short legs and mottled colouring. Found in open grasslands across western North America, the birds are known for intricate courtship displays and territorial behaviours, according to All About Birds. They make a variety of vocalizations including cooing, barking, clucking and gobbling.

Goose Lake Range Park is a 113-acre natural space with several kilometres of non-motorized and multi-use gravel trails designed to support recreation while protecting the sensitive ecosystems there. The new park that opened two months ago is part of the Greater Vernon Trails and Natural Spaces services provided by the North Okanagan regional district and City of Vernon.

The Grasslands Conservation Council of BC works with partners to promote stewardship and sustainable management practices to conserve the health of grasslands in the province, including species at risk and their habitats.