Greater Sage Grouse Lek

Wednesday morning, we accompanied a BLM biologist to check on a couple Sage Grouse leks. Leks are a gathering place for males to display together to try and attract females. Here is a video of illustrating their behavior on the lek.


We arrived at the Cleve Creek lek shortly before sunrise. Nine males were gathered and displaying. Three females were in attendance.

We saw a large herd of elk when we were driving up in the pre-dawn light, plus the frequent Pronghorn. Mule Deer are also around, but we have not seen any yet.

We really couldn't hear the Sage Grouse displaying. The wind was blowing away, and it was cold enough that we didn't feel like taking off our hats.

The second lek that we visited didn't have any grouse. They could have moved the lek nearby, or they might not have been there that morning. It was a smaller lek, averaging three males.

View of the moon over the mountains from the lek.