These are the hens of the northern prairies, the Greater sage-grouse. The photo above is a Sage hen with her young. NumberOneSon swathed the area around our houses today and guess who had been hiding in the tall, tall grass? This hen and her four chicks. Every year about this time, sage-grouse show up around our yard and in a nearby alfalfa field. Sage-grouse nest in sage brush areas and brood their chicks there, but when the chicks are old enough, they travel from the dry sagebrush areas and come down near us and eat whatever they like -- soft, green alfalfa seeds and other forbs. The main diet of the sage-grouse is sage brush seeds, but they will also forage on other types of seeds, plants, and insects. Today JJo and I watched them walking through the yard nibbling from the ground. The grouse fly, but prefer to walk like chickens. At one point the chicks got separated from their mother when the guys drove by. It startled some of them and they flew, but the sweet low cluck of the nearby mother and the higher pitched muffles of the chicks brought them all back together again. The breeding ground of the sage-grouse is called a lek. We really don't have any leks that I know of on our ranch, but I have seen the Greater Sage-grouse strut-dance one time. I was far off, but it was amazing to see and hear. Below is the mating dance of the male during breeding time.
We love our prairie hens and chicks.
Hi Jody! I have never seen a Greater Sage Grouse before! Or the chicks, of course! Fascinating! You know your land so well.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of forbs or leks -- what an educational post. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for another very interesting post, Jody.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see that, in fact, that has always been something I wanted to see.
ReplyDeleteHow nice having them around your house. I would be thrilled. What a wonderful place the prairie is I love seeing your photos and reading about what you see.
beautiful photo, Jody. reminds me of turkey hens and their chicks. I had to wait, while a hen and her 12 chicks crossed the road...it was amazing. she wasn't in a hurry, took it for granted I would accommodate her. I've often thought how God brought *me* to that point in time...someone else might have plowed through them, causing death and mayhem.
ReplyDeleteI just read about someone hunting grouse in a book I'm reading about homesteaders in Alaska. That male is one fancy looking and sounding fella! My oh my...how people don't believe in a Creator is more than I can understand. I will never be convinced something like THAT could happen any other way but by the hand of God. Fascinating!
ReplyDeleteI love the photos. You are faster at catching those buggers than I am. We lost all of our ruffed grouse here in the hills, thanks to Atlas. I sure missed hearing them drum this spring.
ReplyDeleteI love the pictures of your Sage Grouse. We don't have them here in Tennessee - but we do have lots and lots of wild turkeys and I just love watching them and their chicks. - Dori -
ReplyDelete