[TN-Bird] Greater Prairie Chicken courtship
- From: Jeannie Swant <jswant@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: tn-bird <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:23:53 +0000
Dale and I were treated to the spectacle of courtship, Prairie Chicken style,
early on the morning of April 6th. We were invited by Jerry Ingles and Irma
Holmes who had witnessed the grandeur a couple of years back and easily
convinced us it was worth the cruising time to Prairie Ridge State Natural Area
in Newton, IL (about 4 hours north of Nashville) for the weekend of birding. We
got several distant views of our target birds on Saturday, as well as a few
other migrating shorebirds and residents of the area.
Before daylight on Sunday we got into our 6 person blind (two from a Columbus,
OH Audubon group and the four of us) and within a few minutes the morning
chorus began. We could hear the birds before it was light enough to see them.
The blind was at the crest of a ridge where the Prairie Chicken roosters
assemble for song, dance, and a remote chance of physical romance from late
March to mid-April. On this morning, 15 males and 4 females were present and
weather and viewing were excellent.
An exuberant fellow gave us the best show at around 30 yards out, but he never
got close to any of the hens. The older fellows supposedly have most of the
luck. The show really is beyond my ability to describe and should be a checked
box on everyone's life list. Our deepest thanks to all those who operate and
contribute to this wonderful preserve.
http://dnr.state.il.us/orc/prairieridge/index.htm
We stopped at East Fork Lake in Olny on our way back to look for the long
winter/spring residing Long-tailed Duck without success but were thrilled to
instead find a breeding plumage Eared Grebe. Also the Henderson, Ky John J.
Audubon Park was a convenient stop and quite lovely.
Jeannie and Dale Swant
Estill Springs, TN
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