What is in Nebraska?
Male prairie chicken strutting its stuff
What is in Nebraska that would be of any interest? Offhand I can think of football and cornfields. These are my earliest memories of the state. Oh and the state troopers hide behind the raised overpasses because there is no other place to be inconspicuous. Over the years I have found other things of interest, The most recent was on an adventure with my wife to see the Sandhill Cranes. In addition to the cranes, we spent a morning watching and photographing a gathering of Prairie Chickens. A lek of prairie chickens to be more precise.
What is a lek you ask? A lek is a stage, a place for male prairie chickens to show off in hopes of attracting a mate. It is usually a small bluff or raised area in the prairie with few if any large vegetation. The one we went two had short grass with occasional tufts of taller grass. The male prairie chickens gather around this raised area to show off, strut their stuff, and compete with other males to show any female wandering by that they are a superior choice for a mate.
So, one morning bright and early, ok not very bright, since it was very early. We traipsed off to the North Platte visitor center and clambered aboard a school bus used by Dusty Trails, LLC. Dusty Trails was the tour company that would be taking us out to the lek where we would be photographing the prairie chickens. It was still dark when our two school buses left the parking lot and it was still dark when we arrived at the lek. The lek was some distance across the open fields of a ranch. There was an extra bus at the site to use as a blind, giving us a total of three buses/blinds. In addition, Dusty had set up a few small blinds along one edge of the lek for photographers who wanted a closer, more down-to-earth experience of the performance. After a little moving back and forth to get everyone situated we sat back waiting…
Soon, we heard a low quiet booming start. It slowly grew louder and as the sky started to lighted we could see little bits of darkness dashing about the field. As the sky continued to lighten we could make out several small, chicken-sized birds running and strutting about. Occasionally one would jump into the air with its wings flapping. All while the entire chorus continued to boom their call. Slowly more and more details came to be seen. For videos, and more details, of the chickens, and the trip, check out our youtube video here.
Prairie chicken booming and showing off
The next few hours were spent snapping photos, videos and just sitting watching the activity. It was wonderful. On the trip back we were treated to more tidbits about the prairie chickens and of the history of the surrounding area.
Then it was time for some breakfast and preparing for our homeward journey.
Oh, and check out Dusty Trails, LLC for more information about their Sandhill Cranes, Prairie Chickens, and other tours that they have.