Sunday, April 14, 2013

Greater Prairie-Chicken to Lesser Prairie-Chicken Leks, Wray, CO to Elkhart, KS

April 13, 2013

Richard Stevens:

While my companions went on the Wray Museum Greater Prairie-Chicken Tour, I drove the county roads north of town.

Three Greater Prairie-Chickens were found on Yuma County Road EE.  Another Greater Prairie-Chicken was just north of the Bledsoe Cattle Company feedlot at CR FF and CR 42.

The small pond at the same intersection had three American Avocets and five Wilson's Phalaropes along the near shore!

Ten Greater Prairie-Chickens were displaying at the CR 45 Lek when I arrived!

After breakfast, we headed to Elkhart, Kansas and the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Lek.  Along the way, we watched fields for Mountain Plover and McCown's Longspur.

A detour to Two Buttes Reservoir (Baca) did not find our target birds.  While we found several McCown's Longspurs along our route, there were only single birds, no flocks.

We ended our birding day at the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Lek.  Two birds came in about 8:40 pm (Central Standard Time, 7:40 pm MST).  It was too dark to enjoy the birds and we planned to return the next morning. 

Weather conditions did not help.  Anemometer readings were steady 18 mph winds with gusts to 26 mph.  It was impossible to hear the birds calling.

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