https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhgN8g0inR8
From late February to sometime in April, this weeks' bird can be found in the vicinity of leks where the males show off to the females and try to impress them in preparation for spring breeding. The males stage their "dances" at flat clear areas in the desert and plains and the females are attracted to all the action. There are usually a few dominant males that are the ones who breed with the females and when breeding is completed, the females retreat to their nesting grounds. They lay six to eight eggs and it takes about a month for the chicks to hatch. We are fortunate to have a lek about twenty miles east of Bend and I was able to get video of the males “dancing”. I used the video I took last year because it was a little clearer and there are females present. I did not see any females on my visit this year. Most of the display takes place at night so one has to arrive early, just at sunrise to see them before they disperse soon after the sunrise. This is why the pictures are a bit hazy.
These birds range in the northern Great Basin and Great Plains from Canada to Colorado. They are heavily dependent on Sage Brush as a large component of their diet. They are considered threatened and may be placed on the endangered species list due to habitat destruction. If you don't know the definition of lek, you may want to look that up and see what else you can find out about these interesting birds. Good luck with this great bird and happy birding.
From late February to sometime in April, this weeks' bird can be found in the vicinity of leks where the males show off to the females and try to impress them in preparation for spring breeding. The males stage their "dances" at flat clear areas in the desert and plains and the females are attracted to all the action. There are usually a few dominant males that are the ones who breed with the females and when breeding is completed, the females retreat to their nesting grounds. They lay six to eight eggs and it takes about a month for the chicks to hatch. We are fortunate to have a lek about twenty miles east of Bend and I was able to get video of the males “dancing”. I used the video I took last year because it was a little clearer and there are females present. I did not see any females on my visit this year. Most of the display takes place at night so one has to arrive early, just at sunrise to see them before they disperse soon after the sunrise. This is why the pictures are a bit hazy.
These birds range in the northern Great Basin and Great Plains from Canada to Colorado. They are heavily dependent on Sage Brush as a large component of their diet. They are considered threatened and may be placed on the endangered species list due to habitat destruction. If you don't know the definition of lek, you may want to look that up and see what else you can find out about these interesting birds. Good luck with this great bird and happy birding.
Some students found the male's actions a bit disturbing while others thought he was cool! :)
ReplyDeleteSo, they think a man showing off to his gal is disturbing? Maybe there's another life lesson here :)
ReplyDelete