Encore Posting: Sage Grouse Lek Etiquette

[Kristin Purdy <kristinpurdy at attbi dot com>]

I've heard, read, and participated in much discussion on a trip to the
Sage Grouse Lek in Henefer, and this early in the sage-grouse strutting=
season, it might be a good idea for all of us to review the excellent
posting Mark Stackhouse made last year aimed at enjoying, but not
disturbing, the birds.  Here is an encore of his posting:

I was at the Henefer sage-grouse lek last Saturday with a couple of
clients from Florida. The viewing was wonderful, and they were thrilled -
it was a perfect way to start a great day of birding. We surely are lucky
to have an easily accessible lek which can be viewed at such close range.
This lek has been there for many years, and I hope it will be there for
birders to see for many more years.

However, after watching what happened on Saturday, I fear that this lek
may be lost, or move farther away from the road, unless we all observe
some "basic lek-viewing etiquette." On Saturday, there were many people
there - at least 12 carloads. Most of these cars arrived late, some
driving up rather quickly, and the birds closest to the road were flushed,
causing what was essentially one lek straddling the road to split into
two. Birds on both sides of the road moved away from the road. Many
birders also got out of their cars, causing even more birds to flush, and
eventually, the whole lek was emptied. In fairness, the hour was getting
late, and the birds may have been ready to leave anyway.

I'm not pointing fingers at anyone - I just want to make sure that the
sudden popularity of and publicity about this lek doesn't kill it. We can
avoid this by following a few simple lek-viewing practices:

1) Arrive early - preferably while it's still dark, or at very low
light.

2) Drive up slowly, park, and turn off your motor and lights.

3) Stay in your car - this is probably the most important - until the
birds have finished displaying and left the lek. Even if you need to leave
before the display is ended (it's better to stay in a parked car
throughout), don't leave your vehicle, but simply drive off slowly.

4) If you open your windows, keep your voices low, and movements slow.

5) Avoid driving too close to any birds next to the road.

Grouse in the throws of their mating displays often seem oblivious to
everything around them, and it's easy to imagine that what we're doing
isn't even noticed.  However, perhaps because they are so pre-occupied,
the choice of a safe lek-site is very important, and the birds do notice
if there are things around which make them uneasy. If this disturbance is
frequent, then the lek is likely to be abandoned.

Let's all try to make sure this doesn't happen in Henefer.

Good birding!

Mark

Mark Stackhouse
Westwings, Inc.
1432 Downington Ave.
Salt Lake City, UT 84105
tel./fax. (801) 487-9453
westwings@sisna.com

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