About the Roost

Cal Ryan

I'm a sixty-something baby boomer who is semi-retired and semi-everything else. I'm an entrepreneur with my wife and daughter (aka: the hens). Anyway, most of my real brain power goes into hunting and working in the yard (my riding lawn mower and I are like one mind). Most of what you find here will be my ramblings on hunting adventures, some politics, some baby-boomerisms and anything else that comes to mind.


Why the Sage Grouse?

The Sage Grouse is a pretty interesting bird. It is the largest North American grouse and is a strong indicator of the health of the sage region. While the bird is not officially on the endangered species list, in 100 years the population has dropped from 16 million to 200,000. This is due to loss of habitat and lack of management of predators and conservation.

Appearance: Adults have a long, pointed tail and legs with feathers to the toes. Adult males have a yellow patch over the eye, are grayish on top with a white breast, a dark brown throat and a black belly; two yellowish sacs on the neck are inflated during courtship display. Adult females are mottled gray-brown with a light brown throat and dark belly.