{"id":44908,"date":"2017-02-11T06:35:36","date_gmt":"2017-02-11T13:35:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=44908"},"modified":"2026-03-04T15:16:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T21:16:04","slug":"dreaming-of-greater-sage-grouse-sandhill-cranes-and-white-tailed-prairie-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/02\/11\/dreaming-of-greater-sage-grouse-sandhill-cranes-and-white-tailed-prairie-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"Dreaming of Greater Sage-Grouse, Sandhill Cranes and White-tailed Prairie Dogs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CourtingCourting Greater Sage-Grouse on a lek – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1\/1250, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The leaden gray skies that have hung over the Salt Lake Valley this winter have begun to get to me. I find myself longing for warmer, longer days frequently and I am simply itching to spend days at a time wandering around the wilderness looking for birds and soaking up the natural wonders I see in on my journeys.<\/p>\n

\"GreaterGreater Sage-Grouse blending into high sagebrush steppe habitat – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1\/2000, ISO 400, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light <\/span><\/p>\n

I’m dreaming of seeing Greater Sage-Grouse, Sandhill Cranes and White-tailed Prairie Dogs as spring warms up the sagebrush steppe<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"MorningMorning light on a Greater Sage-Grouse – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1\/1250, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light <\/span><\/p>\n

Wanting to feel the cool temperatures at dawn warm up as the sun touches my cheeks at a lek as the birds in front of me perform their yearly mating rituals.<\/p>\n

\"SandhillSandhill Cranes flying over snow-covered mountains – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1\/5000, ISO 500, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light <\/span><\/p>\n

I want to hear the rattling calls of Sandhill Cranes as they fly overhead past the still snow-covered mountains and watch them feed, court and dance near a marsh or farmer’s field.<\/p>\n

\"AlertAlert White-tailed Prairie Dog – Nikon D810, f9, 1\/640, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light <\/span><\/p>\n

I want to see the White-tailed Prairie Dogs coming out of their burrows and then standing upright to check out their world. Watch them scurry through the sage and smell its aroma waft through the crisp, clear air.<\/p>\n

\"White-tailedWhite-tailed Prairie Dog eating in evening light – Nikon D810, f9, 1\/640, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light <\/span><\/p>\n

This dreary winter will soon be over and even though I don’t wish it to go away quite yet I still find myself thinking and dreaming of spring. Especially on days where there will be no visible sun in the morning because of gray clouds hanging overhead. Maybe there will be some sun later today when I can go out and enjoy it. That would be enough to chase this cabin fever away.<\/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

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

I’m dreaming of seeing Greater Sage-Grouse, Sandhill Cranes and White-tailed Prairie Dogs as spring warms up the sagebrush steppe. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":164855,"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":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,2319,450,26,2486,3473],"tags":[4540,4259,2320,2419,3823,3132,3474,8180,4286,4052,4556,3492,5654,3476,4069,9005,4947,4789,4518,4093,165,401,3475],"class_list":["post-44908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-greater-sage-grouse","category-sandhill-cranes","category-utah","category-wayne-county","category-white-tailed-prairie-dogs","tag-alert","tag-antigone-canadensis","tag-centrocercus-urophasianus","tag-courtship","tag-crane","tag-cranes","tag-cynomys-leucurus","tag-dreaming","tag-eating","tag-flight","tag-greater-sage-grouse","tag-grouse","tag-high-sagebrush-steppe","tag-lek","tag-mountains","tag-prairie-dog","tag-prairie-dogs","tag-sage-grouse","tag-sandhill-crane","tag-snow-covered","tag-spring","tag-upland-game-birds","tag-white-tailed-prairie-dog"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-lek-mia-mcpherson-9528.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-bGk","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":36605,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/03\/02\/greater-sage-grouse-white-tailed-prairie-dogs-and-the-sagebrush-steppe\/","url_meta":{"origin":44908,"position":0},"title":"Greater Sage-Grouse, White-tailed Prairie Dogs and the Sagebrush Steppe","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 2, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"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.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dawn arrives on the Greater Sage-Grouse lek, Wayne County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-males-mia-mcpherson-0097.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-mia-mcpherson-0097.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-males-mia-mcpherson-0097.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-males-mia-mcpherson-0097.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21079,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/03\/28\/travelogue-day-3-greater-sage-grouse-and-white-tailed-prairie-dogs\/","url_meta":{"origin":44908,"position":1},"title":"Greater Sage-Grouse and White-tailed Prairie Dogs","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Greater Sage-Grouse and White-tailed Prairie Dogs","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Greater Sage-Grouse on a high sagebrush steppe in Wayne County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-griuse-mia-mcpherson-4921.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-griuse-mia-mcpherson-4921.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-griuse-mia-mcpherson-4921.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-griuse-mia-mcpherson-4921.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":70464,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/06\/02\/two-greater-sage-grouse-foraging-on-the-aquarius-plateau\/","url_meta":{"origin":44908,"position":2},"title":"Two Greater Sage-Grouse Foraging On The Aquarius Plateau","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 2, 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, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-aquarius-plateau-mia-mcpherson-8534.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":56901,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/03\/28\/dawns-golden-light-on-a-greater-sage-grouse-lek\/","url_meta":{"origin":44908,"position":3},"title":"Dawn’s Golden Light On A Greater Sage-Grouse Lek","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"It was 21 degrees and even though my hands became numb because of the biting cold I kept taking image after image of these Greater Sage-Grouse performing their ancient mating ritual, I started well before dawn and didn't stop until the last grouse left the lek.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dawn breaks on a Greater Sage-Grouse lek, Wayne County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-mia-mcpherson-8172.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-mia-mcpherson-8172.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-mia-mcpherson-8172.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/greater-sage-grouse-mia-mcpherson-8172.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21759,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/04\/10\/a-two-second-skirmish-on-a-greater-sage-grouse-lek\/","url_meta":{"origin":44908,"position":4},"title":"Two Second Skirmish On A Greater Sage-Grouse Lek","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 10, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The two second Greater Sage-Grouse skirmish was over but only for a few seconds before these two males started back up again.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Greater Sage-Grouse males on the lek at sunrise, Wayne County, 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":51282,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/03\/18\/before-dawn-breaks-the-courtship-displays-begin-on-greater-sage-grouse-leks\/","url_meta":{"origin":44908,"position":5},"title":"Before Dawn Breaks The Courtship Displays Begin On Greater Sage-Grouse Leks","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Each year across the western states Greater Sage-Grouse begin to fly into leks on the sagebrush steppe during late winter and early spring to perform their fascinating courtship displays well before the first sign of dawn.","rel":"","context":"In "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 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44908"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44908\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/164855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}