{"id":36605,"date":"2016-03-02T05:54:31","date_gmt":"2016-03-02T12:54:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=36605"},"modified":"2026-03-04T15:08:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T21:08:56","slug":"greater-sage-grouse-white-tailed-prairie-dogs-and-the-sagebrush-steppe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/03\/02\/greater-sage-grouse-white-tailed-prairie-dogs-and-the-sagebrush-steppe\/","title":{"rendered":"Greater Sage-Grouse, White-tailed Prairie Dogs and the Sagebrush Steppe"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"DawnDawn arrives on the Greater Sage-Grouse Lek<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, it is that time of the year. The Greater Sage-Grouse should be displaying on their leks, the White-tailed Prairie Dogs should be coming out of the burrows, and flocks of Sandhill Cranes are already making their way north to their breeding grounds.<\/p>\n

\"White-tailedWhite-tailed Prairie Dog sentry<\/span><\/p>\n

I don’t always know what birds or animals I will see when I head out to photograph but in Utah one thing that I know is rock solid<\/em> is the 100% chance of seeing and photographing some of the most stunning scenery in the world.<\/p>\n

Which is why it is extremely important to keep those public lands in PUBLIC hands and away from the lawmakers hands on Capitol Hill and their cronies who want to destroy it.<\/p>\n

Don’t believe them when they say that the lands will stay public because that is definitely NOT true, they are lying. We need to stop them.<\/p>\n

We need to be the sentries that protect our public lands.<\/p>\n

\"GreaterGreater Sage-Grouse male waiting for a chance to mate<\/span><\/p>\n

I am heading out today for a short trip to look for Greater Sage-Grouse, White-tailed Prairie Dogs, and the other birds and animals that call the sagebrush steppe their home.<\/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

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

A short trip to look for Greater Sage-Grouse, White-tailed Prairie Dogs and the other birds and animals that call the sagebrush steppe their home. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":164918,"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":[27,2319,26,2486,3473],"tags":[2320,3474,4556,3492,3476,9005,4947,4789,2660,165,3475],"class_list":["post-36605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-greater-sage-grouse","category-utah","category-wayne-county","category-white-tailed-prairie-dogs","tag-centrocercus-urophasianus","tag-cynomys-leucurus","tag-greater-sage-grouse","tag-grouse","tag-lek","tag-prairie-dog","tag-prairie-dogs","tag-sage-grouse","tag-sagebrush-steppe","tag-spring","tag-white-tailed-prairie-dog"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-males-mia-mcpherson-0097.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-9wp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":44908,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/02\/11\/dreaming-of-greater-sage-grouse-sandhill-cranes-and-white-tailed-prairie-dogs\/","url_meta":{"origin":36605,"position":0},"title":"Dreaming of Greater Sage-Grouse, Sandhill Cranes and White-tailed Prairie Dogs","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm dreaming of seeing Greater Sage-Grouse, Sandhill Cranes and White-tailed Prairie Dogs as spring warms up the sagebrush steppe.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Morning light on a Greater Sage-Grouse, Wayne County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-lek-mia-mcpherson-9528.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-mia-mcpherson-9528.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I found these two foraging Greater Sage-Grouse high up on the Aquarius Plateau in Wayne County, Utah five years ago today.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Two Greater Sage-Grouse foraging, Wayne County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-aquarius-plateau-mia-mcpherson-8534.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-aquarius-plateau-mia-mcpherson-8534.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-aquarius-plateau-mia-mcpherson-8534.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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McPherson","date":"November 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"It was 21\u00b0F one frigid morning on a Greater Sage-Grouse Lek and before dawn broke the grouse began to display on the high country sagebrush steppe in Wayne County, Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Greater Sage-Grouse males sparring at dawn on the lek, Wayne County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-males-lek-fighting-mia-mcpherson-1109.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-males-lek-fighting-mia-mcpherson-1109.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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