Sharp-tailed Grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus
Bessey Ranger District, Nebraska National Forest; near Halsey, Nebraska
Wow! I have just had two
great mornings, (today and yesterday), photographing Sharp-tailed Grouse in the
Bessey Ranger District grassland regions of Nebraska National Forest near Halsey, Nebraska. The lek I visited has a public blind that is great for viewing, but is not suitable
for photography. A local friend set up a
couple of photography blinds and we were there about an hour before sunrise
both days. If you want to photograph the birds at this lek, you will need your own blind. This situation should be corrected next season with a public access blind suitalbe for photography.
About thirty minutes before sunrise the sharp-tails came on
the lek. Though it was still dark and the birds could not be seen, you could definitely hear the booming and display
calls. Yesterday the birds danced until
an hour after sunrise. Today they went
for an hour and half after sunrise.
There were about twenty males on the lek each day and they danced the night…morning
away.
Tomorrow I should be shooting Prairie Chickens, but a rainy
morning is predicted. Hopefully the rain
and clouds will hold off another day. I will
post more about the Sharp-tail Grouse later, with more photos and a video(?). Everyone should see sharp-tails on their
lek. It was an amazing show.
Stay tuned, more to come.
My favorite image of the day. I love the background.
Both Images: Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f4, 1/2500 second @ f/7.1, ISO 1600. Shot from a blind
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