Sage Grouse plus the Grasslands this past weekend.

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Dave Cameron

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May 12, 2016, 10:41:38 PM5/12/16

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Deb and I had a few days off, so went for two birding locations, with three new birds in mind. We got four. Nice to have modest aspirations.

The 26 Road Lek (or more precisely, the 26B Road), was absolutely incredible. There were some rolling hills in the way of seeing everything, but there were easily 50 or 60 displaying male Greater Sage Grouse. There seemed to be ONE female. Birds on both sides of the road, in the road, etc. Quite the experience.

The road from the wildlife area SE of Walden across the sage to the East was a sea of grease. Even newish all-terrain tires on a Jeep barely got us through.

Phase two was the Pawnee Grasslands, target-- Longspurs. We spent the first evening hiking North out of Crow Valley Campground, where we camped two nights (it's VERY wet, and rising, out there right now). Highlights around that area were Northern Waterthrush, Brown Thrashers, Bullock's Oriole, RC Kinglet, Willow Fly, Cinnamon Teal (and scads of Blue-winged), Yellow-headed Blackbirds, many Snipe in flight display, an American Redstart, Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warblers, Sora (heard), Red-bellied Woodpecker (heard), Swainson's Thrush, Yellow-shafted Flicker, etc. We were told of, but did not find, an Ovenbird.

Tuesday we drove Road 96, where we found several very cooperative McCowns Longspurs, to Road 69 to the North, where we found some decidedly less cooperative but nonetheless numerous Chestnut-collard Longspurs. Among many other expected prairie birds. Mission accomplished.