Seriously?

Day 8: I don't think any of us were quite ready for the sudden transition from summer to winter, but after all, we should have expected it. Autumn in the Pacific Northwest lasts a matter of days, as does Spring. In the space of a week, leaves change colour and are stripped from the trees by wind and rain  to stand bare and shivering. If you're a resident of the higher elevations like Sooty here, you'd best know where to find shelter and food. During the winter when snow prevents access to any other food source, Sooty Grouse subsist on a diet comprised almost exclusively of evergreen needles. Yep, that's what I said, evergreen needles. The occasional bug out for a winter stroll may wind up as a protein snack for a grouse lucky enough to spot it. Sooty Grouse populations are on a slow decline, although you certainly wouldn't have thought so if you'd been hiking near Paradise this year. They are listed as a species of concern which, without careful conservation, may be upgraded to threatened or endangered.