[DRwyoming]

I often kick off spring wildlife shooting with a visit to a Sage Grouse lek to watch them do their stuff. Wasn't sure I was going to make it this year as I usually try to go in early April but weather and work weren't cooperating. Finally got out this morning.

As always it starts with getting to the lek well ahead of the birds which is also well before sunrise. I arrived at 4:30 am and the first birds flew in around 5:00. The first hour is tough as you hear the birds doing their thing but without enough light to see them much less to capture images. About an hour later I finally had enough blue hour light to eek out this static shot with shutter speed in the dirt and ISO sky high and a lot of noise reduction in post.

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Around 6:30 am the light had come up enough for some decent shutter speeds to try to catch the motion of their booming call on the lek

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And the sparring between rival males

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Not to leave the ladies out as this is what the show is all about

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It was a clear day with no clouds so the golden light of sunrise over the nearby mountains went pretty quickly but was nice while it lasted

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The Grouse continued their rituals well into the morning and the light had gotten pretty harsh

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All and all a great morning with interesting subjects and about two hours of shooting in changing light before the last birds flew off...

 

[Bill Ferris]

The males are simply magnificent. It's certainly worth the up at 0'dark thirty commitment. Love the ground level perspective, too.

 

[NorthernFocus]

Such crazy looking birds and interesting behavior. TFS

 

[DRwyoming]

The males are simply magnificent. It's certainly worth the up at 0'dark thirty commitment. Love the ground level perspective, too.

Thanks Bill.

Such crazy looking birds and interesting behavior. TFS

Thanks.

Yeah, they look so plain (much like the hens) most of the year but in display they're pretty unusual.

 

[Oldnintheway]

So good! Excellent work, thank you for sharing!

 

[MrFotoFool]

Fantastic - love it!

 

[Louis champan]

Outstanding set of images, they sure put on a show for each other during this time. !!

 

[ChrisSinSeattle]

Great set and fun set , must be a fun one to photograph

Chris S.

 

[ButlerKid]

Simply outstanding images, Dave! WOW! While the birds were showing off, you were certainly displaying your fine photographic skills!

 

[Rick S]

Wow, NatGeo stuff there. Beautiful set.

 

[bsinc1962]

Classic prarie action very well captured. Love it.

 

[tomfranic]

Beautiful set of beautiful birds Sir.

 

[Woodyg3]

All great shots, but the second one stands out as exceptional. Nice job! That kind of blind did you use?

 

[MorganP]

Very nice.

 

[Tiago C]

Wow, very nice!

 

[DRwyoming]

So good! Excellent work, thank you for sharing!

Fantastic - love it!

Outstanding set of images, they sure put on a show for each other during this time. !!

Great set and fun set , must be a fun one to photograph

Simply outstanding images, Dave! WOW! While the birds were showing off, you were certainly displaying your fine photographic skills!

Wow, NatGeo stuff there. Beautiful set.

Classic prarie action very well captured. Love it.

Beautiful set of beautiful birds Sir.

Very nice.

Wow, very nice!

Thanks for the kind words everyone. Much appreciated!

All great shots, but the second one stands out as exceptional. Nice job! That kind of blind did you use?

Thanks Woody.

I opted for the Tragopan Monal V2 blind for this project. I've typically used their Hokki ground blind for this kind of work but chose the larger Monal blind for more room to move and for the option of a bit higher shooting angle for birds farther away to see how that would work. The larger blind is definitely more comfortable and sitting in a chair for several hours is nicer than lying prone and propping myself up with my elbows to see through the EVF the entire time but either can work.

 

[DRwyoming]

@Woodyg3, FWIW here's some images from the files of a Sage Grouse shoot from the Hokki ground blind. Different day, different year, different light with clouds at sunrise and different setting but these were shot just above ground level while lying prone in the ground blind.

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The ground blind really gets down to a ground level perspective (still and option in the larger blind by shooting through the ground level window/tripod leg opening) but one tradeoff is dealing with foreground obstructions like the grass in the image above. Not a deal breaker to me but one reason I went with the larger and heavier blind that allows me to set up the camera a bit higher to trade a bit of ground level perspective for clearing nearby obstructions as these places aren't dead flat and have visual obstructions like grass and rocks and rolling terrain.

FWIW, here's a situation where I really like the ground blind for its very low shooting perspective where I'd set up at the water's edge where there weren't many low level obstructions to shoot past or through:

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[Woodyg3]

@DRwyoming Thanks for the info on blinds. I have only shot from other people's blinds and would kind of like to have one that is both at least somewhat comfortable and also practical. I'll take a look at the Tragopan Monal V2.

 

[DRwyoming]

@DRwyoming Thanks for the info on blinds. I have only shot from other people's blinds and would kind of like to have one that is both at least somewhat comfortable and also practical. I'll take a look at the Tragopan Monal V2.

If you'll shoot alone and don't need it big enough to sleep in (or also purchase the optional vestibule assembly) then the Tragopan V7 is another great option that's a bit smaller and lighter as it's built for one person and also a bit less expensive.

For species like Grouse on a lek I often carry a pad and sleeping bag and some extra food and water and sleep in the blind since you really need to be inside the blind well before the birds arrive predawn. I opted to set up the day before and hike in by headlight in the dark for this recent shoot but often I just carry gear to camp and use the blind as a tent. That's the main reason I purchased the larger Monal though it's also useful for shooting with another photographer.

And if you just want to experiment with using a blind (it takes some preparation and a good understanding of where to set it up so I only use them in specific situations) I've often used very inexpensive pop up blinds. They're not as well set up for photography in terms of window screening, lens ports and the like but they work just fine at a fraction of the cost.

Tragopan's Grouse blind is an upscale version of one of these with more photo specific features but is the basic steel spring frame design that work just fine but are perhaps not as sturdy in the wind and though they set up instantly they can be a pain to fold back up until you master the skill of folding the spring hoops just right. These are available at sporting goods stores like Cabellas but also easy to find online including on Amazon as Pop Up Doghouse Blinds or other similar styles at very attractive prices.

 

[Woodyg3]

If you'll shoot alone and don't need it big enough to sleep in (or also purchase the optional vestibule assembly) then the Tragopan V7 is another great option that's a bit smaller and lighter as it's built for one person and also a bit less expensive.

For species like Grouse on a lek I often carry a pad and sleeping bag and some extra food and water and sleep in the blind since you really need to be inside the blind well before the birds arrive predawn. I opted to set up the day before and hike in by headlight in the dark for this recent shoot but often I just carry gear to camp and use the blind as a tent. That's the main reason I purchased the larger Monal though it's also useful for shooting with another photographer.

And if you just want to experiment with using a blind (it takes some preparation and a good understanding of where to set it up so I only use them in specific situations) I've often used very inexpensive pop up blinds. They're not as well set up for photography in terms of window screening, lens ports and the like but they work just fine at a fraction of the cost.

Tragopan's Grouse blind is an upscale version of one of these with more photo specific features but is the basic steel spring frame design that work just fine but are perhaps not as sturdy in the wind and though they set up instantly they can be a pain to fold back up until you master the skill of folding the spring hoops just right. These are available at sporting goods stores like Cabellas but also easy to find online including on Amazon as Pop Up Doghouse Blinds or other similar styles at very attractive prices.

Thanks for all this detailed info, Dave. I really appreciate it!

 

[Lance B]

Wow, stunning shots, Dave!

 

[DRwyoming]

Wow, stunning shots, Dave!

Thanks Lance!

 

[Dionigi Colombo]

Beautiful bird and pictures

 

[DRwyoming]

Beautiful bird and pictures

Thanks!

 

[sh1209]

Great shots!