Ol' Sage Finds Some, Well, Sage-Grouse
In 2000 the Sage-Grouse species was split, recognizing a smaller and more active bird in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah. It is called the Gunnison Sage-Grouse, as distinct from the familiar (to me) Greater Sage-Grouse of NW Colorado and Wyoming. And Thursday I journeyed down to the area to try to spot the birds on a "lek," i.e., mating grounds.
As luck would have it, I hooked onto a tour run by a local group that afforded the convenience of a trailer used as a blind. It was an experience only a hardcore birder could have loved. We were in position at 5:30 AM, well before first light, and the supposed lek was 300 yards away in a field below. The blind/trailer enabled me to set up my high-power optics ("Questar"), and a good thing at that. Just before 6 AM one could make out black-and-white figures in the distance, and as the light improved see that they were indeed the desired birds. There were about 20 present. But at 6:18 AM, still well before dawn, a Golden Eagle flew over the lek and scattered the birds for good. They would return the next morning, long after I had left. So, it was a "tick" on my list -- a life bird -- but not very satisfying looks. There was no chance to view the elaborate displays rituals ("mating dance") or to examine the interaction between male and female birds.
sagegrouse
