A Bird Fiasco

Posted byGary FultzPosted inadventure, Adventure story, animals in winter, Faith, Fear, Gary Fultz, Gary Fultz Blog, God in Nature, Nature, perspective, Ruffled grouse, spiritual concepts, story teller, story telling., UncategorizedTags:, , , , , ,

There I was, reading Daryl Madden’s “Layers of Colors poem” which you should read if you love autumn, silence and..just read it..click here and the rains came, wind gusts filled the porch, blew open the end door and something came in trying to wreck the place. The grill was banging like a bear was trying to wreck it (which happens here often). It was just a bird.

A grouse flapping everywhere. Those things are dangerous in flight especially when they eat fermented berries this time of year and try to fly drunk. My house seems to kill a few every year trying to dodge those things.  I only wrecked a couple things with no screens harmed and nothing band aids couldn’t fix on me catching the little grouse. Yep kind of little as grouse go but when he wrapped his little feet and claws around my fingers…we had to make some adjustments, is how I will say it.Grouse in porch 3eml.jpg

I opened the screen door and placed him on the nice autumn leaves in the rain. He ran between my legs back into the screen porch. The chase was on again. It became easy to catch little grouse as he quit trying to fly. Flying into the screens didn’t work well. We repeated this twice so little grouse kept me company, I went back to reading until my wife got the camera and we posed for a few shots before I picked him up again and walked him out to the edge of the woods and let him go under a spruce tree in the heavy rain.

Now normal country living means little grouse for supper. Just so happens our freezer is full and I took a shine to the little guy. In a very real sense I extended Grace to little Grouse and let him live. My fingers wanted to wring his neck and grouse is a very tasty meal. I hunt them but a little drunk grouse? Um no.

As I get older, I appreciate more and more all of nature, all of what God has designed including His grace. Since the origin of sin, death is a part of life about 100% of the time.

grouse-in-porch-2eml.jpg
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush??

I wonder how long it will take little grouse to fly again? It’s a life or death question for him in the wild. I have periods in my life where I couldn’t do anything risky. I couldn’t fly. Have you ever been there? then you know what I mean. Giving up is easy. I doubt little grouse understands what grace means. I wonder how many people actually understand God’s grace? If we accept His gift of Grace it means 100% life. Fly little Grouse fly.

I mean, fly somewhere else!!!

Gary

Now, where was I Daryl…

Published by Gary Fultz

Outdoors Man, Hunter, Fisherman, Guide, Writer / Author, Photographer, Public Speaker, Musician, Song Writer, Story Teller, Follower Of Jesus. Love God and family and total strangers

28 thoughts on “A Bird Fiasco”

  1. I was hunting one day and a ruffled grouse flew ahead of me as I headed back to my log cabin. Well, I hear a ‘bonk!’ and realized that the bird headed right for a picture window I had put in the cabin wall. Sure enough, he was there, dead as a door-nail, about 4 feet back from the glass of the window. It made me sad, but I must admit, he made a great supper for me and my wife!
    God is Good! ~Ron

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    1. Ron, those birds get crazy. In the fall, the ruffled grouse have a “fall dispersal” of the young ones finding new territory. A high % kill themselves on something. I must admit, they are good to eat. Last week one hit our screen door window and died on impact. A couple years ago we replaced two windows with three grouse. Ate all 3 but the picture window cost a ton to replace. In the right light the windows reflect the woods outside and grouse fly at 50 miles per hour. Your picture window did well Ron.
      I think our wild grapes are fermented in the skin and the birds drive (fly) drunk.

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      2. Thanks Ron, God is good indeed. I was planning on a bonfire tonight but the grapes are close to the fire. knowing me I might try them and walk into the screen door and hurt myself. So, no bonfire.

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  5. Never had grouse. Never killed anything that was drunk, either. That being said, I’ve gotten to a point in my life that unless I was starving on a wintry, rocky mountain top, if my eating was determined on my killing anything, I’d go vegetarian. Sure, I eat meat, but I don’t kill it – it comes pre-killed for my dining enjoyment. I’ve become too soft.

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    1. Being farm raised, we had no meat but what we raised or hunted. Ruffled Grouse is a delicacy here in the north woods. A huge white meat breast. It’s basically a wild chicken that can fly. I’m going to get some teasing about going soft also Anthony.
      Creamy wild rice grouse soup might cure that malady though.

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    1. He sat under the spruce tree for quite awhile then wandered into the woods a bit before flying a short distance. He’s okay if he stay out of the bald eagles reach for now. The woods are very thick so safe from the owls, hawks and eagles.
      If he goes back to habit, he will be picking berries early morning again.

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  8. Hi Gary, I think it’s kind of neat how God brings little insights of grace into our minds. I have a son (Christian) who thinks the same way about gophers (go figure). And you’re absolutely right, there have been a good number of times when I couldn’t “fly”. Actually it was more like a “season”. Great post!. Blessings!

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    1. Yes Bruce and sometimes those seasons are long. I have often wondered how I could shorten the rough seasons and lengthen the flying ones. Gophers huh? Instead of soaring like the eagles. I relate.

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