Good afternoon!
We have been having much better weather in Gunnison the past few days! The mornings are still pretty cold (around 27°F), but the days have been clear and warm with a little breeze!
For the past two closed days, three birds were seen today, and none were seen the day before. We are at a farther distance, and visibility is hard where we are parked on closing days, so don't let that worry you! There are still birds on the lek, and you still have a great chance of seeing them!
Only 13 more days for the Waunita watchable wildlife site to be open, so be sure to plan your trips and get out to see these incredible birds!
Happy birding!
Friday, May 3, 2019
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Good afternoon!
This morning we had a snow storm on the lek! Visibility was very low with gusty winds, and no birds were seen. Hopefully we get some better weather soon!
Tomorrow and Friday are closed days. Hopefully this will give the chance for the grouse to warm up a little, and get back to their usual activities!
See you on Saturday!
Happy birding!
This morning we had a snow storm on the lek! Visibility was very low with gusty winds, and no birds were seen. Hopefully we get some better weather soon!
Tomorrow and Friday are closed days. Hopefully this will give the chance for the grouse to warm up a little, and get back to their usual activities!
See you on Saturday!
Happy birding!
Monday, April 29, 2019
Good morning!
Saturday 4/27
Early in the morning, around 6:15 am, three Golden eagles were seen flying over the North Meadow and the East Ridge. 10 unknown birds were flushed from the top of the East Ridge and flew south and over the ridge when the eagles flew over. The Golden eagles stayed sitting on the ridge for the rest of the morning. 2 males were seen on top of the ridge later in the morning. 1 male and 1 female were seen in the North Meadow but not seen again after early morning.
14 birds total, 3 males, 1 female, 10 unknown
Sunday 4/28
The weather was cloudy and there was a light drizzle throughout the morning. Our volunteers saw 4 males throughout the morning.
Monday 4/29
This morning was overcast and a temperature of 36°F. At 6:08 am, a coyote was seen in the North Meadow, heading into the thick row of willows. One minute later, 11 birds were flushed (I'm guessing from the coyote!) and flew to the west. 4 males were identified, but the rest were unknown. After this, there were no more birds viewed in the North Meadow for the rest of the morning. At 7:00 am, 1 male was seen on the top of the East Ridge, and about 30 minutes later, a total of 3 males were seen on top of the ridge. We saw a total of 14 birds this morning...much better than the last few days!
It is getting later in the season, and we are seeing fewer females. Once they have bred, they move to their breeding site, and stay there throughout the rest of the summer. The males will stick around the lek for a longer period of time, in case any females show up later in the season, which is why we are seeing more males than females.
Many elk have been seen on the East Ridge and North Meadow. They don't seem to bother the grouse, and are fun to watch!
Saturday 4/27
Early in the morning, around 6:15 am, three Golden eagles were seen flying over the North Meadow and the East Ridge. 10 unknown birds were flushed from the top of the East Ridge and flew south and over the ridge when the eagles flew over. The Golden eagles stayed sitting on the ridge for the rest of the morning. 2 males were seen on top of the ridge later in the morning. 1 male and 1 female were seen in the North Meadow but not seen again after early morning.
14 birds total, 3 males, 1 female, 10 unknown
Sunday 4/28
The weather was cloudy and there was a light drizzle throughout the morning. Our volunteers saw 4 males throughout the morning.
Monday 4/29
This morning was overcast and a temperature of 36°F. At 6:08 am, a coyote was seen in the North Meadow, heading into the thick row of willows. One minute later, 11 birds were flushed (I'm guessing from the coyote!) and flew to the west. 4 males were identified, but the rest were unknown. After this, there were no more birds viewed in the North Meadow for the rest of the morning. At 7:00 am, 1 male was seen on the top of the East Ridge, and about 30 minutes later, a total of 3 males were seen on top of the ridge. We saw a total of 14 birds this morning...much better than the last few days!
It is getting later in the season, and we are seeing fewer females. Once they have bred, they move to their breeding site, and stay there throughout the rest of the summer. The males will stick around the lek for a longer period of time, in case any females show up later in the season, which is why we are seeing more males than females.
Many elk have been seen on the East Ridge and North Meadow. They don't seem to bother the grouse, and are fun to watch!
Friday, April 26, 2019
Good afternoon!
Even though its windy, rainy, and cold now, we had a beautiful morning this morning! There were mostly clear skies, no wind and it was 27°F at the lek site.
We saw 11 Gunnison sage grouse this morning. 7 males in the North Meadow, and 4 males on the East Ridge. The birds in the meadow have left by 6:30 this morning, and yesterday morning, and I am not quite sure why that is. There could be a predator that we are not seeing, or the weather could be affecting them. Not really sure why, but all I know is, they are leaving pretty early from the North Meadow. The birds on the ridge, however, can still be seen all morning long!
This storm is supposed to clear up late tonight, so hopefully in the morning we have nice weather!
Happy birding!
Even though its windy, rainy, and cold now, we had a beautiful morning this morning! There were mostly clear skies, no wind and it was 27°F at the lek site.
We saw 11 Gunnison sage grouse this morning. 7 males in the North Meadow, and 4 males on the East Ridge. The birds in the meadow have left by 6:30 this morning, and yesterday morning, and I am not quite sure why that is. There could be a predator that we are not seeing, or the weather could be affecting them. Not really sure why, but all I know is, they are leaving pretty early from the North Meadow. The birds on the ridge, however, can still be seen all morning long!
This storm is supposed to clear up late tonight, so hopefully in the morning we have nice weather!
Happy birding!
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Hello everyone!
We had a great morning this morning! I believe it was our first morning with temperatures above 30°F! (Temp was 31°F!) We had clear skies, and no wind! Spring is here! There is no more snow left on the site, which is making it tricky to find the birds! Make sure you are watching for movement, and the males white chest!
This morning we saw 11 birds; 6 males in the North Meadow, and 5 males on the East Ridge. All of the birds in the North Meadow seemed to have flushed by about 6:30am. There was nothing seen as to why this was, but my guess is a predator that we just didn't see...but who knows! The birds on the ridge could be seen popping back and forth over the top all morning, and looked beautiful being back-lit by the sunlight!
See you all tomorrow and happy birding!
We had a great morning this morning! I believe it was our first morning with temperatures above 30°F! (Temp was 31°F!) We had clear skies, and no wind! Spring is here! There is no more snow left on the site, which is making it tricky to find the birds! Make sure you are watching for movement, and the males white chest!
This morning we saw 11 birds; 6 males in the North Meadow, and 5 males on the East Ridge. All of the birds in the North Meadow seemed to have flushed by about 6:30am. There was nothing seen as to why this was, but my guess is a predator that we just didn't see...but who knows! The birds on the ridge could be seen popping back and forth over the top all morning, and looked beautiful being back-lit by the sunlight!
See you all tomorrow and happy birding!
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Good afternoon birders!
Saturday was a closed day at the lek! We do this to give the birds a break from some of our noise!
Sunday morning we saw about 8 birds during the early morning. By 7:30am, the wind started blowing, and it started snowing! This made the birds hunker down, and they were not visible after 7:40am.
Monday was a great day, with a temperature of about 28°F, and 8 birds were seen!
Today we had another closed day, as we will tomorrow as well. We appreciate your understanding and willingness to work with us for our two closed days per week, and look forward to seeing you the other five days!
Happy birding!
Saturday was a closed day at the lek! We do this to give the birds a break from some of our noise!
Sunday morning we saw about 8 birds during the early morning. By 7:30am, the wind started blowing, and it started snowing! This made the birds hunker down, and they were not visible after 7:40am.
Monday was a great day, with a temperature of about 28°F, and 8 birds were seen!
Today we had another closed day, as we will tomorrow as well. We appreciate your understanding and willingness to work with us for our two closed days per week, and look forward to seeing you the other five days!
Happy birding!
Friday, April 19, 2019
On our closed day this morning, we had beautifully clear skies, a temperature of 28°F, and no wind!
From a far distance, a total of three birds were seen. During closed day, a volunteer parks at the top of the county road, and observes the lek as best they can and records anything they can see. We have two closed days a week, in hopes to reduce our noises and other disturbances.
We have one more closed day tomorrow, and will be back out bright and early Sunday morning!
See you all then, and happy birding!
From a far distance, a total of three birds were seen. During closed day, a volunteer parks at the top of the county road, and observes the lek as best they can and records anything they can see. We have two closed days a week, in hopes to reduce our noises and other disturbances.
We have one more closed day tomorrow, and will be back out bright and early Sunday morning!
See you all then, and happy birding!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)