| OCR Text |
Show 4 Qage Grouse Courting Adds To Wild's Sounds Some of the oddest sounds in Utah are strange to most outdoor- -Joving people, yet they occur jxJfcgularly each year in sagebrush "valleys and foothills of western Bryce Canyon country. These are the sounds of the native sage grouse during their spring courting activities. During April and May, male sage grouse congregate on certain sites called "booming grounds" to display themselves in a courting ritual which attracts females. With the first light of dawn, the males fly or walk from their roosting sites on sage-covcrcd hillsides to the strutting grounds. These areas are usually sparsely vegetated. The number of cocks using individual grounds may vary from a few to a hundred or more. The cocks strut by erecting their tails in the shape of a fan and drooping their wings low against their sides. The air sacs in the neck region are inflated and distended almost to the ground. Captive air is expelled with several rapid, jerking motions resulting in a hollow sound like that made by dropping a stone down a well of water. This ritual continues from day break until the direct rays of the sun stops all strutting activity. This unique courting ritual begins in March of each year and continues through early May. It is at the height of the courtship, usually in mid-April that conservation officers of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources visit booming grounds and count all male birds present. Since the same grounds are used year after year, this survey gives the officer a trend of the breeding population of the sage grouse in the area. The sage grouse is totally dependent on sagebrush for survival. Critical sagebrush areas inhabited by sage grouse must be protected if this largest of all Utah's native upland game birds is to continue to be the most popular hunted game bird of Garfield County. With dull feathers and about the size of a chicken, the sage grouse lives on insects and berries in the summer, eating grain seeds in fall, and leaves and buds in winter. They build their nests on the ground, well hidden in the brush. Their nests will contain anywhere from 4 to 8 buff-colored eggs dotted with brown. Grouse are naturally curious and their tasty meat is a favorite of hunters. |
