I don’t believe I’ve ever been colder while photographing birds than I was with these grouse on their lek.
1/640, f/6.3, ISO 1600, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
Four years ago I spent several very early and very cold March mornings on the mountain with Sage Grouse displaying on their lek in Wayne County. Almost half the time I spent with them was long before sunrise and even though I was in my pickup I couldn’t start my engine or use my heater and of course several of my windows had to be down for photography. After a couple of hours my entire body felt frozen to the core, despite being dressed warmly and using heat packs in my gloves.
Did I mention that it was cold?
This photo was taken a couple of minutes before the sun hit the lek and the birds – the approaching light can be seen at the top of the frame. In this shot the male is tight in the frame because he came in close to me while he was displaying and because I cropped to eliminate part of another displaying male. I rarely shoot using ISO’s at 1600 or above but in this situation I didn’t have much choice.
Here his throat pouches are temporarily partially deflated but…
1/800, f/6.3, ISO 1600, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
that wasn’t always the case as we can see in this shot taken a couple of minutes later while the bird finally had partial light on him. I was happy that the bird was still sharp at this slow shutter speed while he was heaving those throat pouches up and down.
In the past I’ve published a more in-depth post explaining both the meaning and the process of Sage Grouse displays and it includes links to some excellent videos from Cornell Labs. If you have the interest here’s the link. If you haven’t seen the videos before I highly recommend them.
And if you ever have the opportunity to visit an active lek… don’t miss it. It’s an experience you won’t soon forget. Guaranteed.
Ron
Notes:
- These two photos may or may not be of the same bird. Can’t remember.
- Sorry for the late post this morning. I slept in until 5:30, later than I’ve slept in a very long time.
Hi Ron,
I enjoy looking at all your postings and this Sage Grouse is no exception. I’m an avid birder living in Southern California and a member of the Orange County Audubon. I’ve never seen a Sage Grouse before and would love to see one.
Would you please recommend when and where to see one in Utah ? GPS coordinates might help too.
Thanks so much !
Thanks, Tjie,
Sorry but I don’t give out locations of remote leks. However there’s a well known lek here in Utah called the Henefer lek that you might be interested in. It’s easy to locate if you do a google search on it and it’s right next to a paved road.
Ron,
Thanks so much for the info ! Looking forward to viewing your new posting tomorrow !
Late to the party, Ron, but love this post. I went on a “chicken chase” to Colorado last spring, and visited the leks for Sharp-tailed Grouse, Greater Sage-Grouse, Gunnison Sage-grouse and Greater and Lesser Prairie-Chickens. I know that bone-chilling lek-sitting all too well. Your photos bring back goosebumps! Thanks for the wonderful photos!
Yup, you get it, Diane. Cold, cold, cold!
My friend and I were out walking on a trail a few years ago , turned a corner and there it was, fully inflated! What a thrill that was hope to see it again. You have great captures here.
That was a serendipitous find, Jane. Thank you.
What amazing shots Ron! Thanks for sharing!
Charlotte
Thanks very much, Charlotte.
Besides being visually impressive, it popped into my head that the male’s display also establishes the fact that he has the capacity to keep himself warm in VERY COLD
circumstances, a quality that he might genetically contribute to a watching potential mate’s offspring–the warmer the “parka”,maybe the more desirable the papa ?
Interesting possibility, Kris.
He looks a bit unfinished in the first one. 😀 Sort of the 90-lb weakling before/after shots.
Probably because there’s significantly more air in the pouches in the second shot.
Beautiful photos! I enjoy just watching and listening to the ritual. For me they are hard to photograph. My telephoto only has F8 at maximum telephoto, thus allowing in even less light. The grouse only seem to display until the first rays of sun hit the lek and then they fly off in a big poof. I would like to see the lek in Wayne I have only been to the one in Henefer and in my low car the safety fence is often in the way of good photos.
We had a dead ruffed grouse that flew into the window. It was a beautiful and interesting bird. The feet have scales to help walk in the snow. I have a close up photo of the feet and scales on my phone I can send you if you would like to see them. It is wild looking.
April, I was lucky because on each morning I was with them these birds displayed for some time after sunrise.
Sure, I’m sure I’d enjoy seeing those photos.
Thanks for sending the photo, April. Wild looking is right!
Like everyone else I am glad that you got some ‘extra’ sleep. Your body undoubtedly needed it.
Loved this and remember (very well) the post about the lek display (which I will revisit shortly). The coldest I have ever been was years ago when I was young, foolish (and poor). Our only transport at the time was by motorbike. When we got home the frost had settled on our thighs. And our gloved hands were too cold to remove our helmets. And the house was basically unheated. When the hands thawed enough to remove our helmets we lay face down on the bed (electric blanket ON) and whimpered. Your cold start was MUCH more rewarding.
That’s quite a story, EC. I was very, very cold a few times growing up in Montana – especially when ice skating or toboganning – but as an adult I’ve seldom been as cold as I was on this lek.
Glad you got some sleep!
Thank you for braving the frigid conditions to bring us these jaw-droppingly amazing shots! And as always, thanks for the extra special teachable moments. Those videos were great! I loved learning about the intricacies of the Sage Grouse displays. I wish more documentaries were “to the point” like the Cornell ones.
Thanks, Marty. IMO those videos are some of the best I’ve seen for years now, for the reason I mentioned in my linked post.
Wonder how their body temperatures compare.
They didn’t seem to be bothered by the extreme cold one little bit. I was envious.
You need the sleep!
I remember your post in ’14, and remember with envy (not for the cold) the fact that you not only got to see the behavior, but were able to actually take some great shots. Mammal and Avian behavior is particularly interesting to me. I am sure we all have regrets, and one of mine is that I didn’t pursue getting more involved with wildlife on a volunteer basis. I loved teaching, but closest I got to this was studying and banding terns on an island. These are some wonderful images of Sage Grouse, especially the first one of the male. WOW!
Dick, I still look back on my mornings with these grouse with great fondness. I’ve tried several times to get up there again during their display season but there’s always been too much snow to get in there. It’s very remote up there, only dirt-track “roads, and the elevation is high so lots of things have to come together for me to get there. Thank you.
G-Morning Ron, My wife and I visited Leks while at a Dubois, Idaho Sage Grouse conference a few years back, that offered the visitors an early morning excursion to view Leks; and yes they do put on quite a display, with audible thumping, to compete for the ladies attention. I’m assuming your very sharp first posted photo shows a good amount of “frost frizz” on the Grouses legs as seems evident on the ground cover as well. Don
Donald, yes that’s frost we see on the ground and possibly on those short leg feathers.
I’ve spent a lot of time photographing birds in areas very close to Dubois but it’s always been just a little too late in the season to watch grouse on the lek. I’ve heard about those conferences in Dubois though.
Great shots even if you were freezing! Always wonder how they protect those throat pouches the rest of the year…. Having to stay still in a cold situation is NOT amusing! 🙁 Fogging up the windows with them closed not an option either….. ;( They are hilarious doing their dance….. 🙂 Nature is amazing in her diversity of critters and their actions……… Much controversy about protecting the Lek’s in MT. Actually had a wind free day yesterday – YES! Extra sleep good now and then. 😉
Judy, you mentioned fogging up the windows. The real problem on those mornings was fogging up my lens and especially my viewfinder. All it takes is a single breath on the viewfinder to fog it up and at those temps it takes a long time to clear. And it always seems to happen when there’s something exciting to photograph! I let out a few expletives on those mornings, that’s for sure.
These days there’s “much controversy” regarding Sage Grouse habitat pretty much everywhere they’re found, thanks to the brain-dead policies of our current administration.
I’ve encountered the fogged up lens and viewfinder more than once! 🙁
What an exotic bird. Beautiful Ron, and you did indeed mention being cold:) Like Kathy above, I have never seen one and don’t think we have them here, although I could certainly be wrong. Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos. Had a cold but great time yesterday doing the annual eagle count. We had teams of 2 each at each of our five lakes and many eagles were sighted and reported. We all met for breakfast afterward courtesy of our Forest Service official and got to chat about our adventures. A first time experience for me. Was wishing you were there to take photos. Many were too far for good photos with my camera.
Everett Sanborn, Prescott AZ
Thank you, Everett. Typically Bald Eagles are too far away for me too, especially in the last few years. Sounds like you had a fun and productive experience with them.
Fantastic post today! (That’s not to say that they all aren’t) But honestly these are two very beautiful photos of a bird I have never seen. There is so much to look at in each…much to study here. Love, love, love that second one…it actually looks like an elaborate cape has been wrapped around the bird. He has a very ‘noble’ look about him. ❤️ I will check out the link and do some further research on this. Days have been hectic here…trips back and forth from MI to Milwaukee for doctors appts for my mother. I checked the past two day’s posts while sitting waiting for doctors. Both had remarkable photos…the sparrow ‘s was lovely. All the muted background colors gave the bird a 3-D appearance along with the leaves under him. I’ve only ever seen a Loggerhead once and was too slow to catch a photo. Once of my goal for this year! Extra sleep is a good thing…sometimes letting our bodies dictate what we need is a good thing…no apologies ever needed.
Thanks, Kathy. I can see how most any biologist might be encouraged to specialize as a behaviorist after watching these displays. They’re absolutely fascinating. I hope things turn out well for your mother at her appointments.