NEW LONDON, N.H. — Some people are greeted by the family dog. For Todd Westward, it’s a ruffed grouse.
The bird started hanging out in the New London, New Hampshire, backyard last month with Westward while his family was away on a trip, his wife, Mary Beth Westward, posted in Facebook. Since then, the bird, named Walter, has made himself a fixture in the yard.
A wild grouse, who is called “Walter” by their family, sits perched on the shoulder of Todd Westward, Mary Beth’s husband, outside their New London, N.H. home. Mary Beth Westward via AP
“I just thought it was a fluke before we left,” Mary Beth Westward said Friday. “While we were gone, this bird formed this crazy attachment. He was here every single day, all day long, following him.”
Walter has perched on her husband’s shoulder and arm, and has visited his backyard work station.
Mary Beth Westward said she’s gotten a lot of positive comments from her post, and heard some similar stories about social grouses.
She said she and the couple’s daughters don’t have the same bond with Walter. He appears to chase them away.
“He runs like a feathered velociraptor while he chases us down the driveway in our cars. And he goes back up and sits on the porch and pretends to be our watch-bird,” Westward wrote in her post.
The ruffed grouse is the state bird in Pennsylvania. The “tame” grouse phenomenon happens in the spring, during the peak breeding season, according to a video last year from the Pennsylvania Game Commission. One theory is that the grouse is acting hyper-territorial.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.