It’s April 15^th. Not only is it tax day but it is also my first opportunity to shoot the greater prairie chicken. It’s spring in Nebraska (I use that term loosely as at sunrise it was 27 degrees F with a 25 mph wind out of the north and very overcast). The main event is the prairie chicken mating dance. This is not the same chicken dance you’ve seen at wedding receptions. No, this dance takes place on a lek (a grassy area where the prairie chickens gather at sunrise to display and court their potential mates) and is performed by the male prairie chicken to impress the most eligible female chickens. It’s kind of like dancing with the stars but the stars are the male prairie chickens. The one with the most votes gets the girl(s). It’s quite a spectacle.

The Greater Prairie Chicken is a large bird in the grouse family. It was once abundant, but has become extremely rare or extinct over much of its range due to habitat loss.  They now only live on small parcels of managed prairie land. One of the most famous aspects of these birds is the mating ritual called booming.

The largest remaining populations of the greater prairie chicken are in Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota. Greater Prairie Chickens prefer native prairie, but they have adapted to cropland as natural habitats became converted to agricultural land. They are territorial birds and often defend their booming grounds. These booming grounds are the area in which they perform their displays in hopes of attracting females. Their displays consist of inflating air sacs located on the side of their neck and snapping their tails. The male prairie-chickens stay on this ground displaying for almost two months. The breeding season begins in late March and extends until June. Males fight among themselves for territories on the lek, with one or two males normally emerging as dominant, and subsequently performing the majority of the mating.

I’m staying at Calamus Outfitters on the Switzer Ranch near Burwell, NE. Calamus Outfitters is a family owned business providing opportunities for bird watching, horseback riding, upland bird hunting, deer hunting, tubing, tanking and swimming in the Calamus river. They also cater to wildlife photographers by providing viewing blinds and lots of tips and information (good food too). Top nature photographers such as of Tom Mangelson, Joel Saratore, and Michael Foresberg have shot here. And now I know why. Despite the difficult weather conditions this morning, the chickens did not disappoint. The staff is great too. I want to thank John, a member of the staff and local bird expert who was especially knowledgeable and helped me achieve another first for me – viewing a family of migrating whooping cranes – but that is a blog for another day.

Here’s my best prairie chicken dance shot of the day. I’ve got one more sunrise shoot tomorrow morning. I’m hoping for warmer weather.

Canon 7D w/ EF600mm f/4.0L @ 1/160s f/4.0 iso800

Great Horned Owl and Owlets

I just finished my 2013 Southwest Florida birding and photography trip. February is nesting and mating season so the birds are active and decked out in breeding plumage making for great photo ops. Some chicks, such as great blue herons and anhingas, have already hatched. It’s a great time of year.

I’ve been shooting in Florida each February for six years now. What better place to escape cold and snow than sunny Florida? Unfortunately, the “sunny” part didn’t pan out this year. I arrived Tuesday afternoon and by Wednesday morning a slow moving front brought fog, clouds, and lots of rain. But even a rainy day in Florida is a good day. Although each morning began with heavy clouds and some rain, by sunset each day the clouds broke long enough to get a few good shots.

This year’s shoot included first-time visits to well known hot spots Venice Rookery, Celery Fields, Viera Wetlands, as well as a return visit to Fort DeSoto Park and two scheduled mangrove rookery shoots off the coast of Sarasota. I say “scheduled” as the first one was cut short after only one hour because of heavy fog and the second one never even left the dock due to heavy clouds and an ominous forecast.

But as I said, even a bad day in Florida is a good day. And once again I proved the harder you work, the luckier you get.  Internet research, tips from locals, and hours in crazy Florida traffic paid off with a few keepers; not as many as in recent years but enough to call the trip a success.

If you follow my Facebook Fan Page you may have already seen what I believe to the best shot of the trip; a momma great horned owl and two owlets nestled in the crook of a tree about 25 feet above the ground and within 50 yards of the Gulf of Mexico. I spent several hours watching two nondescript mounds of fuzz hoping for momma owl to return to the nest for feeding time.  Finally around 4:00 PM she showed up and the fuzzy mounds instantly became two very animated owlets. I was surprised momma didn’t stay in the nest but for a few minutes and then flew to an adjacent tree from where she began to call to whom I presume was papa owl about 100 yards away. I did not come to Florida expecting owls so this was a special treat; not only to witness such beautiful and interesting creatures in the wild, but also to be able to bring home a portrait of mom and the kids was very exciting.

Here are a few other favorites from my Southwest Florida birding photography trip (click FS in lower right for larger veiw):