It’s Dancing Time in the Grasslands By Gary Howey
Mullen, Nebraska is best known for its Sandhills Sharptail Shootout and its unique sandhill’s golf course, is also a place where you’ll have the opportunity to view native wildlife in their natural setting.
Over the years, I’ve often heard the spring ritual of the Sharptail Grouse and the Prairie Chicken was 
something to see.
Luckily, we had the opportunity a week ago to spend a day filming the leks where these birds were dancing their heart out trying to impress the ladies.
It reminded me of what was going on in some of the places I used to hang out when I was younger. You
know what I’m referring to, where all the guys are dressed in their best trying their hardest to impress the ladies.
Our headquarters on this trip would be the Sandhills Motel in Mullen, the home of Mitch and Patty Glidden. Unlike other motels in smaller towns, the Glidden’s offer a lot more than just motel rooms. Besides the birding opportunities they also have offer canoe and tank rental with trips available down the Dismal and the Loup Rivers.
Since Prairie Chickens and Sharptail Grouse generally don’t dance or display on the same lek or dancing grounds, Mitch has several locations giving us the opportunity to film both species up close and personal.
In late fall/early spring Mitch makes numerous trips out into the Sandhills to locate the birds and their lek. Using binoculars and spotting scope, he pans the hillsides looking for signs that the birds are starting to use the area.… Continue reading
Myhre: A Sand Hills annual spectacle It’s dancing time for prairie grouse on the grasslands By Larry Myhre
MULLEN, Neb. — There was no hint of a sunrise on the eastern horizon. Larry Porter, Lincoln, Neb., Gary Howey, Hartington, Neb., Mitch Glidden, owner of the Sandhills Motel in Mullen, and I boarded the yellow school bus parked at the top of a rise in the midst of a Sand Hills pasture.
In the daylight, it would be an incongruous and out-of-place sight. But now, in the dark we were thankful that the bus provided protection from a harsh and cold southwest wind.
The school bus, you see, was a blind from which we intended to watch and photograph annual prairie grouse courtship rituals.
This was a sharptail stomping ground, more properly called a “lek” by those who study such things.
On this spot, a dozen male sharptails will gather each morning from February to May. Here they will dance, pose, posture and stamp in an effort to attract a female.
As we sat there visiting, I looked out the window into the darkness and thought I could see scurrying figures in the prairie grasses.
“They’ll come in as much as an hour before sunrise,” Mitch said.
“Well, they are here now,” I answered as I could make out at least six of them running around.
As dawn arrived we could make out at least a dozen birds. Each had his own territory and as another bird would approach, their peculiar ritual would begin.
With heads held low to the ground and purple neck sacks enlarged they would run at each other and then turn at the last minute. Frequently just as you thought they were about to do battle, both would simply deflate, squat on the ground and stare at each other.… Continue reading