Here a Lek, there a Lek

[Nicky Davis <nicky-davis at earthlink dot net>]

Sibley's Guide to Bird Life and Behavior has a section on Leks or Lekking or sometimes called "arena" or "booming ground" or "drumming".  Also the Salt Lake Tribune usually has an article each year featuring this interesting bird behavior where the male birds gather in an area and do a display dance which includes a "drumming" sound made by inflating and deflating air sacs in the breast.  They go to the same Lekking grounds every year (Unless someone builds a subdivision there or ATVs make roads through the circle). The females come to the Lek to mate with the males.  If you look up Greater Sage-grouse on the internet, you will find many interesting articles, audio-video presentations about Leks. I believe I saw an article with videos from University of Colorado on the Gunnison Sage Grouse which is a group of birds that evolved differently from the Greater Sage-Grouse when they were cut off from the major population eons ago. 14 families of birds world wide go to Leks. Populations in Utah have declined as you can imagine, especially the Sharp-tailed Grouse.

I have some photos of the Greater Sage-grouse from last year at

http://home.earthlink.net/~birdutah/h_grousegrtrsage.html

It's a wonderful experience to go to a Lek, but you should always be there before sunrise and not get out of your vehicle or make any noise until the birds have left the area so they are not disturbed in any way. If you want the birds to survive don't go walking around the area, just watch from your car.


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