I believe I’ve only photographed Sage Grouse twice – both times this year. An earlier post I did on this species was largely documentary because the images weren’t of top quality but I wanted to feature the Sage Grouse Initiative, a bold and innovative effort to save this grouse from extinction. But last week in Beaverhead County, Montana I got some shots of them I like. This is one of them.
1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light
I was driving the dirt roads while on the lookout for raptors (mostly) when out of the corner of my eye to the far right I saw (just barely) a flock of Mallards flush up from the barrow pit next to the road and just a few feet away. I gave them a quick glance and drove on but a couple of seconds later Mia hollered out from the back seat her patented “Stop! Birds.”, which I immediately did. Turned out they weren’t Mallards, they were Sage Grouse – about a dozen of them.
We were able to photograph them in a field of bulls for a minute or two before they flew off. This was one of my favorites from the session. I was excited to get images I like of them – particularly because of their near-endangered status.
I sometimes like to include a shot taken with a different camera that shows the setting from a broader perspective, despite the danger of diminishing the intrigue or mystique of the featured image(s). There was at least one more grouse in the group, out of frame to the left.
This is an area of Montana with stark contrasts. The relatively barren hills in the background are so very different from the beautiful, high mountains very close behind me.
I love all of it.
Ron
Ron, got to your site via a post about your Prairie Falcon on FB by a friend in Idaho. Very stunning photo’s & interesting story! BTW I love the shot of the SG with the cows. It is real! I live in Central Montana & am the sec/tres of our small bird club here. We have a SG lek about an hour north of us. We had an overnite field trip up there last spring (2012)to watch them display. There were about 30 birds. We counted 13 males I believe & were incredibly close to them. One of our members is the biologist up there on the Charles M. Russell Refuge. It was very cool. I had trouble with my camera that morning & unfortunately didn’t get very good pics. I have seen SG display twice in central Oregon, but seeing the Greater SG was absolutely awesome! I look forward to perusing your site & blog now that I have found it. Thanks, DEB
Great find Mia and Ron!
Wow.. I am very jealous. I’ve never been able to photograph this bird. Great shot as always, Ron.
I will weigh in on the second photo, and tell you that I, too, really like it. I like having some context for the birds and seeing what their surroundings are like. We’ll be driving through Montana in a couple of days on our way to Yellowstone. I’m really looking forward to seeing more of the state, thanks to your photos. Unfortunately, most of what we will see will be from the Interstate…
That’s one big flock of birds! And such beautiful country, Ron! How lucky you are to be there…just looking at that big sky lifts a weight off my shoulders. I wish I could turn around and look behind me,too… even more, I wish I could stay long enough to see the sunset. Love the tranquility of the whole scene. The Angus are like punctuation marks. I can never get over how rugged the legs of sage grouse are…guess when you look that much like a rock, you have to have strong legs to hold yourself up.
Patty, the sunsets (and sunrises) up there are often truly spectacular. And the view behind me in that second image often takes my breath away. And then there’s the lakes, the birds and other wildlife. And the blessed solitude. I can tell that you “get it”.
Wonderful Ron! Congratulations!
Thanks, Charlotte.
How incredible and wonderful it must have been to have that happen, and a lovely follow-up to your previous post which I also enjoyed and think is a really good way to tackle the issue.
I like the broader perspective shot too in this circumstance.
Yes, Sonja, it was a special event for me. I’ve spent roughly 50 days in the area over the past 4 years and this was only the second time I’ve ever seen Sage Grouse. I’m glad you liked the inclusion of the second shot though I suspect it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea…