Hey Daryl:
That is a nice picture of a Capercaille (the world's largest grouse)even though it probably was your snapshot rather that a set-up.
This is the same species that adorns the engraving of many old German and Austrian stalking rifles, combination guns, and drillings because small bore rifle was a preferred method of harvest during spring displays in the late 19th century there.
I have a friend that went to Russia a few years ago expressly for Capercaille, and he shot a male with a 12 ga. turkey load as it displayed and "crowed" up in a tree. There his guide's name for it translated as the "two step" bird because each time the male crows at dawn you can take two big strides in their direction until you get within range. Otherwise their acute hearing usually has them flush wild.
Two big conservation issues for this species are forest mismanagement and, interestingly, livestock fences. The birds collide with some of the many wire fences strung across the landscape from Scotland to Russia to contain sheep, cattle and goats. The same issue has recently been identified for Sage-grouse, another large but not very nimble grouse, here in the U.S.
Regards,
Ben
