Yesterday, April 30^th was our last viewing day of the season. Thank you to everyone that came out to see the Gunnison Sage-grouse, and we hope that you got a chance to enjoy this beautiful bird and their lekking grounds. The morning yesterday was about 27 degrees F, with clear skies, calm wind speeds and no precipitation. The high male count was 21, with no females observed. 

 

During the next few days, while the site is closed to the public, we will continue to monitor and make counts and will report those numbers. 

Today, the morning had no cloud cover and calm winds, with no precipitation. The high male count was 14 males, and the high female count was 1. An additional 16 unknown grouse were seen flushing from the North Meadow, adding to a total of 33 counted today. 

Thank you again for your participation and enthusiasm in our treasured Gunnison Sage-grouse, we appreciate your love and continued support and we hope to see you next year!

 The morning of Wednesday the 28^th was about 26 degrees F, with variable cloud cover, ranging from 40% to nearly fully overcast as the morning progressed. There was no precipitation and wind speeds were calm. Only 3 males were seen today, all at the North Meadow.

The morning of Thursday the 29^th was about 23 degrees F, with no cloud cover, precipitation or wind. The high male count was 23, and the high female count 3, with a total of 26 birds seen today. Of these observed birds, 16 males and a female were at the North Meadow until they flushed at 6:00-6:12. The remaining 7 males and 2 females were seen at the East Ridge, with the last few birds staying there until about 6:40.

The morning of the 23^rd was overcast and about 32 degrees F. It snowed about an inch the night before and began snowing lightly again around 7:50 am. The high male count was 9 and the high female count was 1. Seven of the observed males were seen at the North Meadow, although they flushed the site only 5 to 10 minutes after becoming visible with the first light. A female and the other two observed males were seen on the East Ridge. The two males stayed there for the remainder of the morning until about 7:35 and spent most of their time not displaying but instead appeared to be foraging as they walked through the snow. Other wildlife observed at the site included Red-winged Blackbird and Mallard ducks, and a Great Blue Heron was observed flying north of the site.

The morning of the 24^th was clear, with temperatures of about 22 degrees F and no precipitation. The high male count was 22 and the high female count was 4. Of this total, 21 males and 4 females were observed at the North Meadow, although they flushed early this morning again, at about 6:19 am. The other observed male was seen on the East Ridge until about 6:12.

 

The morning of the 25^th was mostly clear, with less than about 10% cloud cover and no precipitation. The high male count was 16 and the high female count was 1, combining to a total of 17 grouse seen. 13 of the males were seen in the North Meadow and stayed there until about 6:17 before flushing.  The 3 other males were seen on the East Ridge from about 6:30 until 7:15. The single female was also on the East Ridge, from about 6:30 to 6:40. Other wildlife observed included Red-winged Blackbird, Vesper Sparrow, Common Raven, Horned Lark, Western Meadowlark, Golden Eagles, elk and two female pronghorn, and a coyote. The coyote was observed later in the morning after all grouse had flushed the site.

 

It was a full moon the night of the 26^th, and the morning was about 27 degrees F with about 40% cloud cover. A high male count of 2 was made at the North Meadow, with an additional 4 unknown, all flushing as early as 6:10. No more birds were seen for the remainder of the morning.

 

Today, the morning was overcast with temperatures of about 43 degrees F. It began snowing at 7:30. Wind speeds were calm. Four males were seen in the North Meadow until about 6:08- 6:24, with an additional 7 unknown.  Three additional males were seen on the East Ridge. At about 7:30, thick fog and snow rolled in and the birds on the East Ridge were no longer visible.

 Today the morning was about 28 degrees F with no cloud cover or precipitation with about 0 wind speeds. The high male count was 26 with a high female count of 2, combing to a total of 28 birds seen today. 

The morning today was about 26 degrees F, with 100% cloud cover. It began snowing in the mountains to the south of the site beginning shortly after sunrise, and by 7:45 began snowing lightly at the site. A high count of 9 males was observed today, with no females seen.  They stayed in the North Meadow for only 15 minutes after sunrise before flushing to the East Ridge and across the road. Throughout the remainder of the morning, up to 8 grouse were seen on the ridge until about 8:03. The last few males continued displaying in the snow, until they dropped behind the ridge and were no longer visible. A coyote was observed to the south of the Main lek around 6:45, but did not come near the grouse today. Other wildlife observed today was Elk, Black-billed Magpie, Red-winged Blackbird, and Vesper Sparrow. 

Today the morning was about 27 degrees F, with about 10% cloud cover.  Wind speeds were calm and there was no precipitation.  The high male count was 5 with a high female count of 3. In addition, 12 unknown grouse were seen, combining to a total of 20 observed this morning. 

The site re-opened for viewing yesterday, April 18th and will remain open until the end of the season, April 30th.

Saturday morning, April 17^th, was about 28 degrees F with 100% cloud cover and wind speeds of about 5 mph. It snowed about an inch. No birds were seen today, potentially due to the presence of snow, but there was also very low visibility caused by the snow.

Sunday morning, April 18^th, was about 20 degrees F with 97%  cloud cover with wind speeds at about 2-4 mph. The high male count was 24 and the high female count was 1, with an additional 3 unknown birds seen, adding to a total of 28 birds observed.

 

This morning was about 26 degrees F with less than 10% cloud cover and wind speeds of about 0 mph. The high male count was 14 with a high female count of 2, with and additional 40 unknown birds seen, adding to a total of 56 observed today. The 40 unknown birds were observed flushing from the North Meadow to the left of the road before they were seen on the ground, likely because they were hidden behind the willows.