Greater Prairie Chickens Battle on the Lek
Mar, 2016Views
290
Likes
Awards
Member Selection Award
Peer Award
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 30 rankTop 20 rank week 2Top 20 rank week 1Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on a Greater Prairie Chicken lek in Central Kansas. A lek is an area on the prairie that male Greater Prairie Chickens display and show off for female Greater Prairie Chickens. One male will approach another male and a short battle will ensue, lasting only a minute or so. Usually no one is hurt in these battles. Afterwards, the 2 males walk off to their own personal space on the lek. The females sometimes take notice and may choose a mate from these dramatic encounters.Time
To see this display, you must enter a blind before sunrise. Before the sun comes up, you can hear the Greater Prairie Chickens making their "booming" sounds. After the sun is up for an hour, the battles start to happen less and eventually the prairie chickens fly off. All of this activity happens in the spring, usually throughout March and April.Lighting
The tough thing about lighting is early morning low light. You want a high shutter speed to catch the action and a flash would scare off the birds. Your only choice is to go with an aperture of 5.6 and the highest ISO you can afford to use.Equipment
My camera is a Canon 5D Mark III. The lens is a 500mm f4 without an extender. My tripod is a Manfrotto Graphite with Gimbal Head.Inspiration
I love bird photography. Our local nature center sets a blind up every spring near a lek. Prairie chickens are a brown bird that goes pretty much unnoticed by the general population. But when they battle on the lek, I get to share in their unique mating ritual.Editing
My post-processing includes a raw file processed by Lightroom CC, removing noise, working on exposure, sometimes changing white balance. clarity and saturation. I also use the radial filter to bring attention to the bird.In my camera bag
I often carry a wide-angle lens, just in case a landscape opportunity shows itself while birding. I have a flash, better beamer and plenty of batteries always available. My bag always has extra camera batteries, SD Cards, cleaner and cloth. Finally, I take a good pair of binoculars along with me when possible. Field guide apps on my phone are a convenient resource for wildlife identification.Feedback
Many species of grouse in the western United States have leks. It can be tricky to find these areas. Knowing the local nature professionals may help you find good birding spots. Belonging to wildlife groups may also help you create helpful contacts. However, just being out in nature on a regular basis will help you start to notice the birds and other wildlife in your area.
