An invitation to a lek in Carbon County

["Utah Birds" <utahbirds at excite dot com>]

This is from the DWR Newsletter, "Utah Wildlife News" - April 8
It contain an invitation to a Sage Grouse lek in Carbon County as well as an interesting writeup about the Sage Grouse lek.

********* Utah Wild life News ************

View Strutting Grouse April 17

Price -- The Division of Wildlife Resources is offering an opportunity for the public to view strutting sage grouse at a strutting ground north of Price. The public viewing is scheduled for Saturday, April 17, from 6:30 a.m. until 8 a.m. The best viewing opportunities occur at the break of dawn. By sunrise, many birds will either stop strutting or leave the ground, so plan to come early.

The strutting ground is along the Emma Park Road. For those driving through Carbon County, drive up Price Canyon. Turn right at the Castle Gate Power Plant. Travel U.S. 191 to the Bamberger Monument and follow DWR signs to the strutting ground.

>From the Wasatch Front, travel east on U.S. Highway 6 until you arrive at the top of Price Canyon. Turn left onto Emma Park Road, which is marked. Follow DWR signs to the strutting ground.

The event is free to the public. Dress warmly, and if you have a pair of binoculars, please bring them. Binoculars and spotting scopes will be provided for people who don't have their own.

During March and April every year, sage grouse congregate at strutting grounds (called leks) to perform the species' mating ritual. Male or cock sage grouse advertise their suitability as mates by putting on an elaborate show. They fan their pointed tail feathers, puff out their white chest feathers and inflate gular sacs, which look like yellowish balls (half- spheres) protruding from their chests. Cocks emit a "blooping" or "bubbling" sound as they prance around, trying to attract mates and frighten rivals.

The most dominant males occupy the best real estate on the strutting ground, which is the center of the activity. Turf wars break out frequently, as one male struts too closely to another. Competing males will batter each other with a flurry of wing beats and foot kicks, until one of the two retreats. This activity goes on for about a month but peaks in early April, when most hens seem ready for breeding.

Hens generally appear around the edge of the strutting ground in late March. They spend their time feeding on the spring green-up and appear to ignore all the fanfare put on in their behalf. As hens walk around the lek, strutting males will sometimes follow them in an attempt to attract their attention. When an individual hen senses she is ready, she will posture in front of a male. She submits to copulation only once with a single male. After mating, she flies from the strutting ground to build a nest. Unless the nest fails, she won't return to the strutting ground until the following spring.

For more information about the April 17 event, contact Brent Stettler at (435) 636-0266.






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