[mou] Lac Qui Parle Sharp-tailed Grouse

[BillyJoe Unzen]

Between 6:50 and 7:30pm this evening April 8th, I watched a male Sharp-tail=
ed Grouse displaying on a lek with at least 16 Greater Prairie-Chickens a=
t Plover Prairie East Unit.

The location of the lek is four miles north of Bellingham on Hwy 75 then tw=
o miles east (look for the camouflaged tent) and is easily viewed from th=
e dead-end road that turns north.

The grouse got into several skirmishes with the male chickens. The chickens=
 were always the aggressors but the grouse never backed down.

The grouse didn=E2=80=99t show any signs of hybridization with Prairie Chic=
kens, but its presence at the lek could mean the possibility of future hy=
brids in the area. This is possibly the same bird I saw at Plover Prairie=
 back on February 14th.

There were also 3 Short-eared Owls flying around the area at dusk(excellent=
 migration in Lac Qui Parle this spring with at least 16 SEowls seen so f=
ar).

The apparent influx of Sharp-tailed Grouse into the west-central regions fr=
om the Dakotas this winter has resulted in the birds not leaving the area=
 so far this spring. Most sightings are of singles with the exception of =
a group of at least 28 grouse near Odessa in early march. The other most =
recent sightings were of single birds at Salt Lake on 3/25, just west of =
Marietta on 4/3, and 2 miles northeast of Nassau on 4/6.


Bill J. Unzen