Photo by Doug Murray
The Greater Sage Grouse above is all gussied up for his annual spring dance, which we got to observe this week at a local "lek," the term for a mating dance arena used by the males of some animal species. Leks are generally associated with the mating rituals of birds, but some bats, insects and fish also use them. The females hang around and watch as the males prance and call, trying to impress the ladies.
In Northern Utah, lek-watchers head out in the spring to see the Greater Sage Grouse. Lek-lookers in other areas of the country might watch Prairie Chickens or Ruffed Grouse or similar ground-type game birds. Check with your local Audubon Society or state wildlife office to find out who likes to lek and where to find them.
Although I consider myself a relatively avid birder, I'd never seen a lek in action. As it turns out, a successful lek trip takes two things in greeat quantities: coffee and patience. We arrived at our chosen sage grouse lek at about 6 a.m., following a 50-minute drive. (This activity is not for those who don't like to rise early.)
This lek was close to the road -- in fact, at the peak prancing, the grouse were all over the road -- so we parked the car alongside a fence in a roadside pullout and waited with the engine and lights off and the windows rolled down.
After about 40 minutes we saw the shadowy figures of birds scuttling into position in the meadow just beyond the fence. After about 15 minutes, the field was covered with more than 100 grouse, about a third of which were males puffing out the enormous air sacs on their chests, making noises that sounded like hoots followed by a thumping sound -- al the while prancing forward or in circles 8 or 10 steps, then pausing to waggle their pointed fan-shaped tails. It looked like downtown Ogden on Saturday night.
The display went on for a little more than an hour and started breaking up just as the morninglight took hold. Apparently, grouse prefer to do their business under cover of darkness. They're not shy. They're just easy prey for golden eagles or hawks in broad daylight.
It was an eerie, primal experience happening in a region that is Utah's most populated and urban. And it's a cool way to spend an early morning. You won't even be late for work.
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