Prairie Chickens

Prairie Chickens (3 posted today)
We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the Prairie Chicken’s response to Spring on the Great Plains even when it meant getting up at 3:15AM, driving 21/2 hours, shuttling out to an abandoned school bus and sitting another extremely cold hour or so in the dark awaiting their arrival on the Lec. The Lec designates a specific area in which the birds congregate year after year to determine male dominance and establish flocks of hens. The male displays include: “booming” - blowing up colorful sacks on either side of the neck and releasing the air in a hooting/booming sound, plus an incredible variety of other sounds; fluffing out feathers and stiffening wings and tail and the amazing elevation and display of tufted ear-like feathers otherwise flush with the neck and shoulders; athletic leaps and bounds; and something akin to foot stomping in place. It’s an amazing rite to witness as they were quite unaware of the 5 of us with scopes, binoculars and cameras in the old bus strategically located at one side of the Lec.

The bus and field experience were provided by Calamus Outfitters as part of several innovations this ranch family has made to financially preserve their ability to ranch in the lovely remote sand hills of Nebraska. (Exploration of that area of northwest Nebraska would be worth another trip.) The patriarch of the family took us to the bus and stayed there in the pre-dawn darkness talking of the economy, ranching, the rush to ethanol despite corn’s extremely high carbon requirements to produce - requirements that emit more carbon than ethanol’s use in automobiles saves, not to mention it’s disproportionate water requirements. The increasing price of corn is a boon to the farmers of the plains states, but grasses requiring significantly less water and mechanized “tending” would seem better overall. This toughened rancher’s story of his own growing awareness of his environment including the birds and his efforts to find ways to preserve and include them in his economic operations was more than interesting.

We became silent for the last 20-30 minutes to shield our presence and with the first light of dawn saw the prairie chickens fly in. After our fill of watching, and our increasing chill and hunger, we returned to the ranch house where our host’s wife had prepared a fabulous country breakfast of eggs bacon and pancakes. We took our leave of these good people and, though tired, stopped at a nearby reservoir where we were treated to 24 bald eagles atop various trees and snags around the newly thawed water. Delightful morning! Many thanks to John Murphy who encouraged us, made all the arrangements and drove pointing out so much of interest en route.