Chicken Run...COLORADO (30 April)

Well this was the first day of why we really came to Colorado. I am here with other TB guides Nick Athanas and native Coloradan Andrew Spencer who generously showed us one of his favorite state birds in the far southeast of the state today: the frankly absurd Lesser Prairie-Chicken. An incredibly early start was required (3am ish!) but was worth every sleepless minute. The bubbling, clicking and cackling calls of the much-desired chickens were heard pre-dawn and some subtle maneuvering of our car was required before sunrise before we were settled in prime location, watching over a dozen or more males and a couple of distinctly dowdier females at the lek. The action was simply addictive: the strange noises, the face-offs between the males, and the incredible displays of the males that raised their well-hidden feathered horns, and inflated their rich red gular sacs that would give even a frigatebird a run for its money. My first outrageous chicken experience and I am sold, it was one of the best wildlife experiences I have encountered anywhere. Period.

Heading off for more (different) chicken action tomorrow. Surely it cannot live up to this?!...