Recently Published Work

Creation Illustrated: Summer Issue; Vol.22, No.2, 2015 pp12-13

     More than a month ago I was posting my published work over the last year, but some how got side tracked.  I am picking up with my column in the summer issue of Creation Illustrated.  This column is about my experience on a Sharp-tailed Grouse lek in the heart of Nebraska on a brisk March morning this past spring.  Hope you enjoy.

Pic of the Day

Sharp-tailed Grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus: Bessey Ranger District

Nebraska National Forest and Grasslands near Halsey, Nebraska

     In late March I spent two days on a Sharp-tailed Grouse lek photographing the dance of these very animated birds.  The grouse arrived on the lek more than a half hour before the Sun climbed above the horizon.  In the pre-dawn light they danced their hearts out, with little hope of getting the images I wanted.  As the light increased I began shooting, but it was not until the first ray of light struck the bird and lit the golden grasses ablaze that the images began to come alive.  This is one of my favorite images as one of the birds slipped into the grass after a bout of dancing.

     To read about my experience on a Sharp-tailed Grouse lek and plan your visit, click on this link:

http://www.bobbyharrison.blogspot.com/search/label/Sharp-tailed%20Grouse

Then scroll down and start with "Sharp-tailed Grouse in Nebraska I" to start the story from the beginning.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 500mm f/4, 1/500 second @ f/7.1

Sharp-tailed Grouse III, Continued

     Watching and photographing Sharp-tailed Grouse and Prairie Chickens is one of the greatest experiences I have had as a birder and bird photographer.  Whether you are a birder, a bird photographer, or you just loves nature this spectacle should not be missed.   So, how can you see this fantastic event for yourself?  I recommend two locations, Nebraska National Forest and Grasslands near Halsey, Nebraska and Calamus Outfitters about seven miles north of Burwell, Nebraska.

Sharp-tailed Grouse Lek at Bessy Ranger District.  Public blind on left, personal photography blinds brought to sight by my friend and I.  Photo blinds need to be set-up at least a day prior to use.  Contact the National Forest and Grasslands headquarters to select a let of your choosing.

     There are numerous locations in Nebraska to see and photograph Sharp-tailed Grouse and Prairie Chickens, but I can’t imagine a better place for photography than Bessey Ranger District in the Nebraska National Forest and Grasslands.  There are about 30 different grouse and chicken leks in the grasslands and all are available for viewing or photography.   

     The national forest is just west of Halsey, but amenities in Halsey are quite sparse.  Halsey is very small, there is one hotel, and one bar/restaurant.  There is no gas station, and no source for groceries, so be sure you fill-up with gas and groceries before you arrive.  Halsey is quite isolated, but if you want to photography Sharp-tailed Grouse and Prairie Chickens this is perhaps the best place to get close to the birds.  I had grouse only a few feet from the blind. 

  Sharp-tailed Grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus:  Bessey Ranger District,

Nebraska National Forest and Grassland near Halsey, Nebraska 

    Only two leks in the Bessey Ranger District have viewing blinds, one Sharp-tailed and one Prairie Chicken lek.  The current public blinds are excellent for viewing birds, but are totally unsuitable for photography.  Photographers need to bring their own portable blinds. It is important to set-up the blind the day before the shoot.  It would be virtually impossible to set-up a blind in the darkness and be prepared to shoot the same morning.  Whether Viewing bird or photographing birds you must be in the blinds at least forty-five minutes before sunrise.  This is essential.  If birds are on the lek before you are in the blind, they will be frighten off when you arrive.  The blinds are right on the lek. 

     Once in the blind a flashlight is essential (preferably one with a red filter) to get gear set-up for the big event.  Also bring a small folding chair.  You may be in the blind for 3 to 4 hours, that’s a long time to stand around.  Also bring water and a snack, once in the blind you will need to stay until the all the birds fly from the lek.  Keep in mind that Nebraska can be down right COLD during the lek season.  This year the lows reached down to around 42F, last years temperatures were between 10-20 F.  Dress warm, layers work great, just have lots of layers, headgear and gloves.

 Greater Prairie Chickens, Tympanuchus cupido:

Calamus Ranch, Calmaus Outfitters near Burwell, Nebraska

     If you are not interested in photography, and just want to view the dance of the Sharp-tailed and Prairie Chickens, I suggest Calamus Outfitters near Burwell.  They have the perfect set-up.  You meet at 6:00 AM, soon after that the groups are bussed to a viewing blind for the morning festivities.  The blinds themselves are old school busses.  The bus seats have been removed and replaced with chairs.  Windows on the side of the bus that faces the lek have been removed as well.  The distance of the birds vary, but some birds may come as close as 75 feet, perfect for viewing.

Greater Prairie Chickens, Tympanuchus cupido:

Calamus Ranch, Calmaus Outfitters near Burwell, Nebraska

    The best time to see grouse and chickens on their leks is between mid March and mid April, so there is still time this year if you have that urge to see these birds preform their age old ritual.  Below I have listed contact information for both locations that will be useful in your travels.  I have also included known motels and eateries in both areas mentioned. 

Contacts: Bessey Ranger District

Sharp-tailed Grouse and Prairie Chicken Viewing and Photography Information:

Nebraska National Forest and Grasslands area

http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/nebraska/home

Motel:

Halsey Frontier Inn


503 Highway 2


Halsey, NE 69142

Phone: (308)533-2240


FAX: (308)533-2323

info@halseyfrontierinn.com

Campground:

Nebraska National Forest and Grasslands

Bessey Recreation Complex

http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/nebraska/home

Reservations: http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/bessey-recreation-complex/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=74135

Eateries:

Double T Bar

103 Main St, Halsey, NE 69142

(308) 533-2208

Contacts: Burwell, Nebraska

Burwell Area/Garfield County Visitors Bureau

www.visitBurwell.org 

Sharp-tailed Grouse and Prairie Chicken Viewing Information:

Calamus Outfitters

http://www.calamusoutfitters.com

Motels:

Calamus Lodge             Rodeo Inn                            Pump & Pantry

46358 828^th Rd             50 NE 11 St.                        517 1^st Ave.

Burwell, NE                   Burwell, NE                          Burwell, NE

(308) 346-4331             www.rodeoinnmotel.com    pumpandpantry.com

Campgrounds:

Burwell City Park        Calamus Lodge      Calamus State Recreation Area        

North 7^th Avenue         46358 828^th Rd      42285 York Point Rd           

(308) 346-4509            (308) 346-4331      (308) 346-5666

D & C Calamus West                                 Kamp Kaleo on the River            

45538 Hwy 96                                            46872 Willow Sps Rd  

(308) 214-0013                                          (308) 346-5083

                   

Willow Springs RV Park and cg                91 Pines Campgrounds               

46854 willow Sps Rd                                 Hwy 91  (6 miles west of Burwell)

(308) 750-1364                                          (308) 214-0198

Eateries:

Sandstone Grill

Pizza Palace

Northside Bar & Grill

Barb’s Café

Stockman’s Lounge

The Hub

Verda’s Café

Legion Club
Subway

Sharp-tailed Grouse Continued II

     After shooting the star filled sky (previous post) I sat in the blind for an hour waiting for the grouse to come to the lek.  Setting in the chair I began to doze off when I was wakened by the call of a Sanhill Crane.  Unusual I thought, it was still pitch black yet a crane squawked a couple of times, and the call came from above.  Something must have frightened the crane from its roost.  There was a southerly breeze, but if a flock of cranes were heading north there would have surely been many cranes making their rattling calls as they flew overhead.

Sharp-tailred Grouse

     Sitting in the darkness I leaned back in my chair and fell back into my slumber.  Suddenly I thought, “how will I know when the grouse arrive!” About that time I heard a meadowlark, then, moments later the soft cooing of a grouse, then another, and another, the birds were on the lek.  I had my camera at the ready, but there was no light.  It would be another thirty-minutes or more before the sun would break the horizon.

     Looking through a portal of the blind I could barely discern the vegetation on the lek, nothing had detail.  Eventually, as I stood staring into the nothingness I caught a glimpse of movement.  A Sharp-tailed Grouse was there, but it was like a ghost.  I could barely make out the shape of the bird.  As I stared into the dimly lit landscape the bird became easier to see, and then I began to see others, many others.  As the light grew in intensity so did the activity of grouse.  They were like synchronize swimmers.  They all ran across the lek with outstretched quivering wings, produced a thumping sound that only a grouse can create.  Then, in unison males would pair up, sit on the ground and face each other.  It was a stand off, each staring at each other with great intensity just waiting for the other to flinch.  One bird would make a slight lunge toward the other, then, the other would lunge forward.  

Sharp-tailed Grouse facing-off

The act continued until each would take flight toward the other, pounding their chests into each other creating a loud thump.  This was usually followed with the two birds flying upward a few feet pecking and scratching each other with beaks and talons.  As the birds came back to earth the stare down resumed and the ritual was repeated.  All this so the females could pick the strongest and healthiest males to mate with.

Sharp-tailed Grouse

     Often during the stare down, one bird would callout sending all the males into a running frenzy across the lek.  Their outstretched wings quivered, their heads held low to the ground, as all the males began to vocalize the display call at the same time.  It was a cacophony of audible madness.       As I watched the birds, I picked up on the call that caused the frenzy.  As I listened to their vocalizations I put words to the call to help me remember the sound.  Clearly the birds were saying…. “Cock-a-Waffle.”  The sound was being repeated over and over again.  If you say the phrase really fast, you will sound just like a Sharped-tailed Grouse.

     As each of the wing quivering, “Cock-a-Waffle” calling frenzies took place I snapped images as fast as possible trying to capture the movement.  I soon realized that capturing a moment of the dance did not to it justice.  I could show the high points, but still photography would never do justice to this ancient ritual.  This snippet of video gives the reader an idea of what occurred, but  you must see this event live, and in person to really appreciate the dance.

(If video does not show up below click this link to see the video on youtube:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qo9YIk3rDA

Sharp-tailed Grouse on Lek near Halsey, Nebraska

Too be continued ………….

Sharp-tailed Grouse in Nebraska I

Sharp-tailed Grouse lek under the Milky Way

Nebraska National Forest near Halsey, Nebraska

     On the day before my Sharp-tailed Grouse adventure began, a local friend and I went to the lek and set-up two photography blinds.  When we arrived we looked for feathers, and found many.  There was no doubt that the lek was active, so we set about erecting the photo blinds.  Setting the blind up before the morning shoot was essential.  The moon was only 2 days old, so there was no moonlight whatsoever the following morning.  We would have never been able to get the blinds in the proper place in the dark.

The next morning we arrived at the blind two hours before sunrise.  The temperature was somewhere in the forties, not warm but not brutally cold.  The stars were wonderful.  I have some pretty dark skies at home, but they had nothing on a moonless night in the heart of Nebraska. 

     The constellation Scorpio loomed over the southern horizon and the Milky Way was as brilliant as I had ever seen it, maybe more.  It was then that I thought of shooting an image of the sky above the lek.  I wanted my blog viewers to understand the experience, and arriving at the blind before sunrise so not to disturb the birds is essential.

    Over the years I have found that a ten second exposure when using a 20mm to 35mm, f2 lens works quite well as an exposure.  This exposure produces star that are points of light instead of streaks of light (star trails).  I did not have a cable release with me so I set my shutter to 13 seconds.  I set the camera to mirror lock up to reduce vibration. I then placed my hand in front of the lens, trip the shutter, counted to 3 and removed my hand.  This prevents vibration from touching the shutter button.  The technique seems to work fairly well.  At ten seconds there does seem to be slight star movement when the image is made larger.

     After my morning of shooting Sharp-tailed Grouse (see previous post) I took a photo of the lek in the morning light.  To create this photo I used photoshop and combined the two images.  I layered the star image over the lek image and proceeded to erase the black landscape area of the star image.  I reduced the opacity of the eraser to 5% and erased the black landscape area of the star image until the foreground area of the lek was visible.  I erased just enough to give the hint of the grassy lek.

    The idea is to give you a hint of my experience.  It was absolutely amazing.  The stars, the grasslands, and birds; but nothing I say here, or images that I post can convey the experience.  It is something that you must experience yourself to fully understand its magnitude.

To Be Continued ……………...

Nikon D800, Nikkor 35mm f2, 10 seconds @ f2