May 10, 2015
May 10th was our final day counting grouse at the Waunita Lek for 2015. Thank you all visitors for coming out to view the birds and following protocols. We'll see you next year!
High Male Count: 12
High Female Count: 3
High Unknown Count: 4
Yellow Rumped Warbler spotted amongst willows.
Northern Harrier and Red-tail Hawk in Main Lek.
3 Coyotes on East Ridge.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Friday, May 8, 2015
May 8, 2015
High Male Count: 24
High Female Count: 1
High Unknown Count: 16
Highly active morning! Although we are approaching the end of the season, there is still a lot of grouse activity.
Intense wing fights on East Ridge and continued displaying.
5 coyotes spotted in North Meadow. Several were playfully chasing each other!
Rough-legged hawk on fence post North Meadow.
Willows leafing out.
Western Kingbirds spotted south of lek.
High Male Count: 24
High Female Count: 1
High Unknown Count: 16
Highly active morning! Although we are approaching the end of the season, there is still a lot of grouse activity.
Intense wing fights on East Ridge and continued displaying.
5 coyotes spotted in North Meadow. Several were playfully chasing each other!
Rough-legged hawk on fence post North Meadow.
Willows leafing out.
Western Kingbirds spotted south of lek.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Monday, May 4, 2015
May 4, 2015
High Male: 15
High Female: 0
High Unknown: 0
Full Gibbous Moon
Mink spotted stalking near creek in front of trailer.
May 3, 2015
High Male: 15
High Female: 4
High Unknown: 0
Group of White-Crowned Sparrows spotted in front of trailer.
Rough-legged hawk in North Meadow
4 females circled 3 males heavily displaying. Females left unimpressed, no copulations witnessed.
May 2, 2015
High Male: 18
High Female: 0
High Unknown: 2
Horses and several donkeys in Main Lek.
High Male: 15
High Female: 0
High Unknown: 0
Full Gibbous Moon
Mink spotted stalking near creek in front of trailer.
May 3, 2015
High Male: 15
High Female: 4
High Unknown: 0
Group of White-Crowned Sparrows spotted in front of trailer.
Rough-legged hawk in North Meadow
4 females circled 3 males heavily displaying. Females left unimpressed, no copulations witnessed.
May 2, 2015
High Male: 18
High Female: 0
High Unknown: 2
Horses and several donkeys in Main Lek.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
April 12, 2015
High Male Count: 23
High Female Count: 1
Wilson's Snipe making winnowing sound during mating display.
A group of 18 grouse could be seen in one field of view on East Ridge.
Great Horned Owl hooting in area.
Mountain Bluebird landed on trailer window ledge, inches away from viewers!
April 11, 2015
High Male Count: 21
High Female Count: 0
Grouse in North Meadow and East Ridge
Sage Thrasher singing from West.
Coyotes howling.
High Male Count: 23
High Female Count: 1
Wilson's Snipe making winnowing sound during mating display.
A group of 18 grouse could be seen in one field of view on East Ridge.
Great Horned Owl hooting in area.
Mountain Bluebird landed on trailer window ledge, inches away from viewers!
April 11, 2015
High Male Count: 21
High Female Count: 0
Grouse in North Meadow and East Ridge
Sage Thrasher singing from West.
Coyotes howling.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
April 8, 2015
High male Count: 21
High female Count: 0
4 grouse were spotted early, 5:45, on Northern edge of Main Lek.
At 6:20 birds displayed on East Ridge on and off till 7:20.
North Meadow showed grouse from 6:40 till 7:09 when 5 flushed and 3 remained hidden not displaying in and out of sagebrush. At 7:00 a group of ravens flew in and seemed to make grouse uneasy with displays ending and birds dispersing.
Elk, rough legged hawk, and ravens all spotted in and north of North Meadow.
High male Count: 21
High female Count: 0
4 grouse were spotted early, 5:45, on Northern edge of Main Lek.
At 6:20 birds displayed on East Ridge on and off till 7:20.
North Meadow showed grouse from 6:40 till 7:09 when 5 flushed and 3 remained hidden not displaying in and out of sagebrush. At 7:00 a group of ravens flew in and seemed to make grouse uneasy with displays ending and birds dispersing.
Elk, rough legged hawk, and ravens all spotted in and north of North Meadow.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Monday, April 6, 2015
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Happy Easter!
High Male Count: 15
High Female Count: 1
Males displayed along East Ridge. A coyote ran across North Side of East ridge.
Golden Eagle sat completely still just yards below displaying males! By 7:30 males on ridge disappeared to east.
North Meadow was quiet except for a rough-legged hawk watching area.
One lone female was in Main Lek then flushed for unknown reasons to south North Meadow where almost immediately three males flew in and then all flushed to West for unknown reasons.
High Male Count: 15
High Female Count: 1
Males displayed along East Ridge. A coyote ran across North Side of East ridge.
Golden Eagle sat completely still just yards below displaying males! By 7:30 males on ridge disappeared to east.
North Meadow was quiet except for a rough-legged hawk watching area.
One lone female was in Main Lek then flushed for unknown reasons to south North Meadow where almost immediately three males flew in and then all flushed to West for unknown reasons.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Gunnison Sage-grouse Viewing Update
Gunnison Sage-grouse Viewing Update
Greeting to all from Gunnison, Colorado. The Gunnison Sage-grouse viewing season
started on April 1, 2015. As many of you
know, the grouse have made an interesting shift in their distribution. It is rare for a bird with high site fidelity
to move and likely this behavior is related to the cumulative impacts of
disturbance in the vicinity of the lek.
Last year, the birds started moving off the traditional lek and this
year they have so far completely abandoned the traditional site. While we have tried to create a viewing
opportunity that reduces the impacts of viewing on the grouse, it is likely
that the presence of birders over the last 15 years has contributed to the
behavior of the grouse. Nonetheless, the
grouse are still visible from the viewing site, although much farther away than
we have had the luxury of viewing them in the past. The grouse have moved north in the meadow, in
an area where the willows are denser so viewing obstruction is
significant. They have also moved to the
east and up on top of the sagebrush ridge.
While the birds may be 1 km or more away from the viewing site, it is
still possible to see them fairly well with a spotting scope. They are often well lit on exposed
sites.
Sisk-a-dee and its partners are concerned that birders begin
to deviate from the viewing protocols established to protect the Gunnison
Sage-grouse. Many conservation groups
including birding organizations supported the recent listing of the Gunnison
Sage-grouse as a Threatened Species. I
am encouraging all of you to conduct Gunnison Sage-grouse viewing with the
utmost integrity of ethics. Please see
the www.siskadee.org website for specific details on viewing protocols. We urge all visitors to view the grouse from
the Waunita Watchable Wildlife site and not to drive further up the road to get
a closer view. Currently there are
approximately 5,000 Gunnison Sage-grouse in existence world-wide with 87% in
the Gunnison Basin. The loss of one lek
is a substantial blow. One lek was
already depleted due to lek viewing activities.
If the Waunita lek continues to fade and the birds move further away
from their traditional lek, it is very unlikely that another watchable wildlife
site will be established. The birding community advocates for grouse protection
and all are ambassadors for the Gunnison Sage-grouse. If birders drive up the road, recognize that they
may be subject to a wildlife harassment violation if their actions cause the
grouse to flush from the lek. Volunteers
continue to monitor the site daily and will be available to help all visitors
locate the grouse in their new locations.
Monitors viewed 29 Gunnison Sage-grouse at the new locations
on Wednesday April 1 and 20 birds on Saturday April 4. Thank you for your consideration of our 15
year effort to protect one of North America's rarest birds.
Please feel free to contact Sisk-a-dee at 970-641-3959 if
you would like to discuss the issue or have questions about your visit. As in the past, a viewing trailer is available
for reservation or you can view the lek from your vehicle 7 days a week
starting at least one hour before sunrise from 1 April to 15 May. Please keep in mind that the viewing site
opens on April 1.
Negotiations are underway to determine the future of the
Waunita Watchable Wildlife Site, which is managed in cooperation by Sisk-a-dee,
Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and the Gunnison Basin Sage-grouse Strategic
Committee. Depending on this year's
grouse counts, site operation may change in the future including complete
closure, partial closure (viewing available on certain days each week), or
continue the status quo. Further, speed
limit reductions and no parking regulations are being considered.
Patrick Magee!
Sisk-a-dee, Director
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Hello all! We begin the 2015 Waunita Watchable Wildlife Program!
April 1, 2015
High Male Count: 22
High Female Count: 0
Male displays all across East Ridge.
Birds at North Meadow flushed after two vehicles drove by.
April 2, 2015
High Male Count: 7
High Female count: 0
Birds were in and out of brush cover on the North Meadow.
4 unknown birds flushed from North Meadow to far northeast ridge and disappeared in sagebrush, 6 birds still remained in north meadow.
East Ridge was quiet with two males to the north end of ridge, in and out of sagebrush
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