I have had experiences in nature that are so powerful and so meaningful that the memories of those experiences have stayed with me my whole life.
My interest in birds started when I was around five years old. As a child, I would read bird books and look at images of amazing birds with the thought that maybe someday I would have the opportunity to see a particular species in the wild. And then, eventually, I would have that experience.
For example, I can remember the first time I saw a peregrine falcon in the wild. I remember the first time I saw a bald eagle in the wild. I remember the first time I saw a pileated woodpecker.
These particular species, along with many, many others, were birds with which I was familiar, having looked at their images in bird books. But seeing each of these species for the first time was a moment of great exhilaration.
My first goshawk sighting occurred when I was in my mid-twenties. I was an adult leader with a Boy Scout troop, and we were backpacking in the Uinta Mountains in northeastern Utah. After we had reached our campsite for the evening, I left camp to do a little birding on my own. I was standing, motionless, in a small clearing surrounded by trees, binoculars in hand, when an adult goshawk swooped into the clearing and landed on a tree at the edge of the clearing.
That brief encounter will forever be seared into my memory. It was thrilling!
I had such an experience this past weekend. I was in southern Utah, and I reached out to a fellow birder to see if I could get a tip on where I might find a greater sage grouse—a species that has eluded me for more than forty years.
This particular species of grouse occurs in the Basin and Range habitat of the inter-mountain west—in Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. I have wanted to see this species for decades. My birding friend provided me with detailed instructions to a lek site.
A lek is where males come together and try to out-compete one another in elaborate courtship displays in an effort to entice females for mating rights. The instructions to the location specifically included the statement “make sure you get there before daylight, and try not to disturb them (headlights, door slamming, loud talking) as they’ll give up for the morning.”
Knowing I had to get to the lek site in total darkness, I did a trial run the day before, so I could be sure where to go. The drive to the lek site was about eighty miles one-way from where I was staying, so I drove 160 miles on Friday, and again on Saturday.
I’m really glad I did the trial run, as it would have been very difficult to find the location in the dark. I arrived just after 5:30 in the morning—and waited. From my vantage point, the lek site was about 400 yards away. Gradually, as it began to get light, I could see movement in the distance—they were there!
The males put on a dramatic courtship display, inflating air sacs in their chest and thrusting out their chest. There were many times when I witnessed rival males squaring off and fighting one another. I stayed for almost two hours and saw at least twenty sage grouse. Using my spotting scope, I took some digital pictures and video with my iPhone. It was a new memory—and an experience I will never forget!
Until next week, Happy Birding!
Eric Moore is the owner of The Lookout, in Prescott, where you will find a Hallmark Gold Crown Store, wild bird products, and Swarovski and Vortex optics. Eric has been an avid birder for over 55 years. Eric can be contacted at eric@thelookoutaz.com.
This past weekend was the winter solstice, the shortest day and the longest night of the year. While I personally do not like the cold, I do love the winter night sky. Each morning when I go outside to retrieve the newspaper, I like to just pause, and look at the heavens and take in the wonder of the night sky.
Maybe like you, unfortunately I live in a neighborhood where some of my neighbors leave their outside lights on all night long. Why? I have no idea. To me it is annoying, and a poor use of precious resources. We live in a time when we need to be so mindful of how we use energy.
One may think it is a little thing, a 100 watt bulb left on all night, but multiply that by hundreds and thousands of lights left on all night and what a huge impact this has on energy use.
There is a dark sky ordinance in some communities. I personally like living in a community where people value dark skies. I like living in a neighborhood where there aren’t any street lights.
Another issue to consider is the impact of lights on wild birds, especially when they are migrating. Lights at night disorient while birds, resulting in window strikes, resulting in an untimely death.
Several months ago the Courier ran an article about outdoor lights at night, and the impact on wild birds. I concur.
