It's been a cold and snowy spring in MN. The winter bird photography was primo this year and I was hoping for more of the same this spring. Sadly, the cold and wet conspired to keep me off the canoe and it looks like my annual nesting Great Blues will be a bust and I'm now wondering if they will have a failed rookery this season. My "birding fallback" for the spring was chicken blind in the northwest of the state. The images were shot at the a Nature Conservancy blind as a part of some work that I am doing for them. As has been typical this season, it was a very cold morning and the sky was heavily clouded. By the end of my shoot, I think I saw about 40 males staking our their territory and parading about.
thanks for looking and regards,
bruce
Canon 5D mark III + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS + Canon 1.4x iso 800
Canon 5D mark III + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS + Canon 1.4x iso 1600
Canon 5D mark III + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS + Canon 1.4x iso 1600
Canon 5D mark III + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS + Canon 1.4x iso 1600
Nice shots Bruce. At some point I would like to take the short trip up there in the spring and try to get some nice shots. How long did you end up spending in the blind?
Thanks for all of the comments... I've photographed Sharp-tailed grouse in the past, but this was my first time with Prairie Chickens. I enjoyed the experience so much that I've penciled myself in for another shoot in April 2014.
@JohnBrose... I drove up from the East Central MN (Stillwater) on a Friday night and spent a short night in a motel in Moorhead, MN. I woke up at 3:45 am and was in the blind by 4:45 am. There are two blinds at this reserve and they are fairly spacious. I think that they could accommodate 3 photographers and their gear. Once you're in, you have to stay until all the birds leave. Because it was overcast and spring was late, the males remained in the lek longer than normal. I didn't leave the blind until 9:45. The light was so poor that I shot most of the images @ iso 800-3200 & f4 to 4.5. In some ways, this made for a better shoot as the light was even. Sunrise is pretty fast in May, and had it been a clear day, the shooting window would have been really brief.
send me a pm or email if you want more info.
regards,
bruce
Beautiful colors, Bruce, and great fun to see a chicken lek! I enjoyed a similar experience a few weeks ago with Black Grouse (3:45 AM, cold, etc), but didn't manage to get two birds in the same frame. (So, I love your last shot!).
Thanks to everyone who commented... I am excited about booking the blinds for 2014, as I would like to record the sounds of a lek as well... very captivating.
@Greg (Pllnian)... I would love to see a Black Grouse lek (among others). Have you posted any of your images from your attempts?
