{"id":24882,"date":"2015-05-29T04:50:52","date_gmt":"2015-05-29T10:50:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=24882"},"modified":"2025-11-24T19:28:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T01:28:20","slug":"two-months-ago-today-on-a-greater-sage-grouse-lek-and-news-on-protections-for-the-grouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/05\/29\/two-months-ago-today-on-a-greater-sage-grouse-lek-and-news-on-protections-for-the-grouse\/","title":{"rendered":"Greater Sage-Grouse Lek and News on Protections for the Grouse"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MaleMale Greater Sage-Grouse on a cold March morning – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/500, ISO 2000, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Two months ago today I was photographing Greater Sage-Grouse displaying on their lek<\/span><\/a> in 21\u00b0F weather in Wayne County, Utah. I was mesmerized by the courtship displays I saw in front of me and in awe of these large upland game birds, their history, and my personal concerns about their future.<\/p>\n

Yesterday the BLM and U.S Forest Service plans were announced that will hopefully provide protection for Greater Sage-Grouse and by way of those protections the rest of the inhabitants of the sagebrush steppe.<\/p>\n

Here are a few articles about those plans:<\/p>\n

BLM, U.S. Forest Service Plans for Western Public Lands Provide for Greater Sage-Grouse Protection, Balanced Development<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

U.S. to Limit Petroleum Drilling on Habitat of Greater Sage Grouse<\/span> <\/a><\/p>\n

Western states decry Obama plan to save greater sage grouse<\/a><\/span> –\u00a0Utah\u2019s Bishop calls scheme a federal land grab<\/p>\n

I find it interesting that Wyoming is on board with these plans but Utah’s Congressmen Rob Bishop thinks this is a “federal land grab”.<\/p>\n

Bishop is a liar and it is he who is trying to grab that land<\/a><\/span> from the federal government and wasting Utah tax dollars in the process not the other way around.<\/p>\n

Pot kettle Bishop?<\/em>There are those of us who see right through that cow manure.<\/p>\n

This Greater Sage-Grouse lek was here before you Bishop and we will fight to make sure it is there long after you leave office.<\/p>\n

I don’t know if these protections will be enough but I think this is good news for the Greater Sage-Grouse, the sagebrush steppe, and the other animals that call it home.<\/p>\n

I figure Bishop and his minions will file a law suit about this plan. Just because they can and certainly not because it is right.<\/p>\n

But the tide is changing and more people are willing to fight for what is right and not as many now that will openly fight to destroy public lands.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Greater Sage-Grouse photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two months ago today I was photographing on a Greater Sage-Grouse lek in 21\u00b0F weather in Wayne County, Utah.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":164754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,2152,2319,26,2486],"tags":[2320,5795,3535,2158,4556,3492,3476,4062,4378,9189,4789,2660,401],"class_list":["post-24882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-conservation","category-greater-sage-grouse","category-utah","category-wayne-county","tag-centrocercus-urophasianus","tag-cold","tag-courtship-behavior","tag-courtship-display","tag-greater-sage-grouse","tag-grouse","tag-lek","tag-male","tag-morning","tag-protections","tag-sage-grouse","tag-sagebrush-steppe","tag-upland-game-birds"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-lek-mia-mcpherson-8621.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-6tk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":111244,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/03\/16\/mating-greater-sage-grouse\/","url_meta":{"origin":24882,"position":0},"title":"Mating Greater Sage-Grouse On A Wild Windswept Lek","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 16, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"During the breeding season, male Greater Sage-Grouse gather in communal display areas known as leks to perform an elaborate courtship ritual.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mating Greater Sage-Grouse on a lek, Wayne County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/greater-sage-grouse-lek-mia-mcpherson-6620.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/greater-sage-grouse-lek-mia-mcpherson-6620.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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"Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Greater Sage-Grouse on a high sagebrush steppe, Wayne County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-lek-male-mia-mcpherson-1408.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-lek-male-mia-mcpherson-1408.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-lek-male-mia-mcpherson-1408.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-lek-male-mia-mcpherson-1408.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-fight-mia-mcpherson-8311.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-fight-mia-mcpherson-8311.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-fight-mia-mcpherson-8311.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-fight-mia-mcpherson-8311.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51031,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/02\/21\/greater-sage-grouse-on-a-lek-our-public-lands-our-legacy\/","url_meta":{"origin":24882,"position":3},"title":"Greater Sage-Grouse on a Lek – Our Public Lands – Our Legacy","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"One might ask what do Greater Sage-Grouse have to do with our public lands and the answer would be that more than half of all remaining habit for these large upland game birds is on our public lands in the Western U.S..","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Here is your country - Greater Sage-Grouse on a Lek, Wayne County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-roosevelt-mia-mcpherson-0369.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-roosevelt-mia-mcpherson-0369.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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