In the avian symphony of spring, the Ruffed Grouse plays the timpani. At dawn he takes the stage on a log, stump, or boulder. Bracing himself with his tail, he begins his deep, thunderous drumroll: Whump…Whump…Whump. Whump. Whumpwhumpwhumpwhummmmmpumpum. He will repeat this performance every few minutes, following some inner conductor’s clues. Between shows, he might raise his neck feathers into his namesake ruff and fan out his tail in a crisp semicircle.