The other factor was it was in a heavily posted spruce grouse area (near a moose bog) and behaved as apparently spruce grouse do when approached by a human, which is essentially to do nothing but pose while I stood five feet away taking about a dozen slightly grainy pics because my phone camera was excessively zoomed.

I would say it is pretty much definitely a spruce hen.

Last edited by Dan S. W.; 08/13/18 10:08 PM.