Sage Grouse on lek

[2lumpy]

After many years and many trips to observe the sage grouse on the Parker Mountain……. Today was a disappoint, to say the least.

I believe the fewest number of males we’ve seen in past years was in the lower 50’s. Some years we’ve seen in the lower 80’s. Also most year the lek is so full we’ve been able to get very close to the grouse.

I was guessing, due to the extremely dry conditions on the Parker Mt last year, the number could be down. I guessed it would be in the lower 40’s……… I was way off.

We watched, from pre-dawn until until 7:45 a.m. we counted a total of 7 males and zero females. The males wanted to strut but without any females, I didn’t catch a single male, close enough to get a picture. Sorry for the quality but this was the best I could do today.

I’m hopeful there is some other dynamic going on that I don’t understand to account for the dramatic decline.

 

[deerlevi]

After many years and many trips to observe the sage grouse on the Parker Mountain……. Today was a disappoint, to say the least.

I believe the fewest number of males we’ve seen in past years was in the lower 50’s. Some years we’ve seen in the lower 80’s. Also most year the lek is so full we’ve been able to get very close to the grouse.

I was guessing, due to the extremely dry conditions on the Parker Mt last year, the number could be down. I guessed it would be in the lower 40’s……… I was way off.

We watched, from pre-dawn until until 7:45 a.m. we counted a total of 7 males and zero females. The males wanted to strut but without any females, I didn’t catch a single male, close enough to get a picture. Sorry for the quality but this was the best I could do today.

I’m hopeful there is some other dynamic going on that I don’t understand to account for the dramatic decline.

View attachment 74446

Numbers are down for sure and have been trending down for several years. That being said, there are leks that have seen increased use in the past years comparatively.

 

[2lumpy]

That’s true. Just reporting on the lek I’ve been posting pictures for the last 8 or 10 years.

 

[deerlevi]

That’s true. Just reporting on the lek I’ve been posting pictures for the last 8 or 10 years.

That's awesome you have that history of going that long.

 

[2lumpy]

That's awesome you have that history of going that long.

Just enjoy being in the field as much as possible…..?

 

[eelgrass]

I watched a few YouTube videos awhile back about a guy who worked for a contractor who had a job cutting down Juniper trees in eastern Oregon so hawks couldn't use them to prey on Sage Grouse. I didn't see any trees in your photo, so that's probably not an issue where you are 2Lump.

Some of those Juniper trees are nasty and I wouldn't want that job.

He found some Indian relics while on the job. He left them, or so he said.

 

[2lumpy]

I watched a few YouTube videos awhile back about a guy who worked for a contractor who had a job cutting down Juniper trees in eastern Oregon so hawks couldn't use them to prey on Sage Grouse. I didn't see any trees in your photo, so that's probably not an issue where you are 2Lump.

Some of those Juniper trees are nasty and I wouldn't want that job.

He found some Indian relics while on the job. He left them, or so he said.

The Parker Mt is largely a 9,000 high plateau that is mostly rolling sage flats and treeless. Adjacent mountains are juniper and piñon covered at the lower elevations and they are grinding up thousands of acres of juniper/piñon……using sage grouse endangered species money. So we do have some sage grouse in our juniper forest too.

I deer hunted Wyoming two years ago and did a lot of scouting on sage brush plateaus there. I did a lot of scouting in June and July, sage grouse where abundant in many locations. Funny thing, I thought, by September and October, in those same areas….. I couldn’t find a sage grouse if my life had depended on it.

I haven’t noticed a lot of hawks but we have lots of bald and golden eagles, and coyotes coming out our ears, but I think they say the crows and ravens are our worst predator. I’m sure they all take their share.