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Having just experienced my first-ever "population high" of these birds, I find that I have a newfound appreciation for them. Their camouflage is quite exceptional. Even when you're almost on top of them they can seemingly disappear with just a few steps into cover.

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We've had them break several windows up at the camp, on the main house and in the out-buildings. There's a Nannyberry bush (or two) near the edge of the bay that they seem to be drawn to and somehow, after ingesting a belly-full of those fruits (perhaps intoxicating?), they manage to fly into things. My father-in-law made some jam once from those bushes...but it wasn't very interesting (it reminded me of dates, except with even less flavor). The birds are far-more fun.



This particular bird would run out of the woods when you drove in and actually chase you around the yard (you can see he's pretty aggravated here). You were clearly "trespassing" in his eyes
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Here I am sitting here on the porch, having an adult beverage after a long day afield. I actually caught and picked this bird up (she didn't like that much). She was one of the several pets (or pests) that haunted the camp two Falls ago now. Her offspring were likely in residence this past year as well, but they were far-more circumspect.

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This fall, if you walked outside they would run for cover. I would think that is preferable.

I do hope a few of them survive this winter to entertain my guests & my family next year. We do not shoot these "pet" birds near the house, however (& since the passing of my father-in-law) we're only there for a few short months every year now. Several years ago, I had a chance meeting with a "native" year-round resident (when I ran into him twice, over two consecutive years, on the very same game trail) and we struck-up a conversation. He's evidently a local handyman/carpenter type and in that brief conversation with me, he admitted that our road was one of his favorite places to "hunt birds" out of his old Chevy truck in December, when most everybody was gone. Oh well...