Spruce Grouse, Denali National Park, Alaska – Image #2908

I was leading a photo workshop for Camp Denali last year when we came across a covey of spruce grouse hunkered down in spruce trees on a drizzly day in Denali National Park. A spruce grouse is a close cousin of the willow ptarmigan. We almost walked right by this covey because the grouse were so well camouflaged in the boughs of the tree. These birds usually sit tight trusting their camouflage to hide them from danger, and thus become easy and fun photo subjects. We have just announced a new Mark Kelley photo tour for July 2015…check out the “Alaska Whale Photo Safari” on this site. Camera: Nikon D800, Lens: 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom, Digital Capture, ISO 200 – Copyright Mark Kelley 2014