So okay, I went back to Russ Gray Pond tonight. Dad suggested that maybe the someone had been feeding the grouse. So I took Aurora’s suggestion and came with a trouser-cuff full of bird seed . . .

I park in the pull-off, about the same location as last night, and fiddle around getting my camera gear out. The grouse wasn’t around so I started walking up the road.

When I got to the upper end of the pond, and still no grouse, I decided to shoot some photographs while I was there. So I shot geese on the pond . . .

And the sun setting on the pond . . .

And I walked back to the car. The grouse was standing next to the driver’s door. But at the same time a pick-up truck came down the road. So that dingy grouse chased the truck down the road and even FLEW after it, like it was pissed off.

I waited about five minutes and it came trotting back up the road. So I went into the woods a few feet and knelt down. It came to within 10-15 feet and just paced a semi-circle around me. It made little throaty noises at me the whole time.

I took out my packet of bird seed and flung some towards it. No interest whatsoever. So I took some more photos and walked back to the car.

Of course it followed and chased me up the road . . .

Now, if it doesn’t want food that leads me back to the nesting theory . . . but how far away will the grouse go from its nest? The length of the pond is pretty far, and last night it was within a few feet of me for a little over an hour.

I personally think it suffers a mental defect . . .

I don’t think I’ll get to go look for it again for the next couple of days, but I’ll get back if I can.