Male grouse compete for female attention at the "dance"
It was a breezy, but beautiful morning in Northwest Colorado. The grouse were dancing in full display. The sun had just come-up and the light was perfect for photographers taking happy snaps of the happy grouse couples on the dance “floor” when out of the clear blue sky a bold and beautiful party crasher swooped in. A russet colored female Harrier Hawk coming in low, fighting the wind, inches from the top of the crested wheat grass stubble. The music stopped the dancers too and a hush fell over the crowd. In she swooped, brazen as, well as brazen as a hawk on the hunt. The tension built as the invited grouse guests hunkered down. Would we see blood-shed on this bright and beautiful morning? Would the dancing end as the frightened guests scattered?
Want to know what happens next? Check back to read the next part of the forbidden dance OR come join us and see the “dance” for yourself.
CEC, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, The Wilderness Society and our partners invite you to the “Dance”. We are pleased to offer limited seating trips to see the iconic Greater Sage Grouse mating dance. To learn more about the tours or to purchase your ticket, click here.
Wow, exciting stuff! I can’t wait til Saturday when I get to see this sort of action myself.
this is clearly a once in a life-time opportunity! You rock Sasha for putting it together! and I hear there are still seat available?! Go SEE it people!
This is cool!
Having seen the small but mighty sage grouse dance in years prior, I can’t recommend this trip enough! Going with the CEC team makes the excursion fun and easy– all you have to do is show up and they take care of the rest. If you’re a birder or even if you just care about Colorado’s environment… get yourself to the sagebrush sea this spring!