A sharpie morning

[mtmiller]

Get up early all week for work, might as well do it on the weekend as well.

Hit the road a little after 4 this morning and set up my blind on a lek I discovered last week. Cloudy conditions, but I got some decent shots.

What do you know, my prop worked.

Coming to attention.

Bad hair day.

Light sneaking in...momentarily.

 

[mtmiller]

Low clearance.

Karate kid?

Crouching tiger, hidden dragon?

Then a ballet broke out.

 

[Spitz]

Cool pics Miller! Love that first one.

 

[Delw]

Fantastic pics

 

[Ultrahunter]

That is really cool!

 

[elk_hunter]

Very cool, miller! Thanks for sharing!

 

[jabber]

OK, I have to ask the question. I have seen all these great pics of these birds and don't know what they are, so, what the hell are they and why the interest in them?

 

[AZ402]

Awesome...........!

 

[1_pointer]

Very cool! You're getting very good at getting some great pics, keep sharing!

 

[T Bone]

Craig,

You ever tried marketing some of these? They're top notch.

Jabber,

The birds in these pics are sharptail grouse. They are common in the Northern Plains. Spring is mating season. Male and female alike converge to certain open areas called a lek. The males strut their colors, do a crazy stomping foot dance, and fight for the females' attention. It's realy an amazing sight at some of the larger leks to see a lot of birds simultaneously. Lek sites are historical and if left undisturbed, will be used for many years.

I've heard it said that the plains native american tribes mimic some of their dances after the sharp and sage grouse.

 

[ashersdad]

Those are some awesome pics Miller. Love the prop. What kind of camera are you using?

 

[Big Fin]

Miller, those are some of the coolest prairie bird pics I have ever seen. Thanks for sharing.

Very cool.

 

[Oak]

More great shots. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Wally Dog]

Craig, great work.
WD

 

[jabber]

Thanks T-Bone, that helps a lot.

The pictures are amazing, both in subject quality and pic quality.

 

[Buschy]

Miller,

Thank you for getting up in the morning and taking those pics to share with us. They are fantasic. Nice touch with the prop, I wouldn't have thought of something like that. Great work!

 

[upper deck]

Killer photos. Looks like a lot of fun. Great Job.