Date: 3/24/26 6:54 pm From: Benjamin Menzies via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Prairie chicken lek tour ?
I may not have the gist of the question, but as a former Prairie Chicken Research Mule in ND and MN (ages ago) I'll try to help:
1.) If the question is at what cost is it worth it to put a Prairie Chicken Antics tour on your schedule vs going to your grave without seeing them, I would say probably whatever that tour costs. It's great to watch, and will leave you performing prairie chicken dance moves every time you talk about it--which people in your life will enjoy, so think of it as a gift that keeps on giving.
2.) Between a paid tour and just going on your own, the definite benefits of the tour are: it likely takes the guesswork out of whether or not you'll see prairie chickens, you can easily plug it into your schedule, you will befriend new bird geeks on the Bird Bus, it will save time otherwise spent researching places to go, and (ideally) the Tour Package includes a muffin in a plastic wrapper and unlimited styrofoam cups of gas station grade coffee.
3.) On the other hand, it probably isn't hard to find information about where to go, and just go there. The birds use the same spots year over year, so I would think the nearest wildlife refuge, USFW, or maybe even the USFS (manages some grasslands, too) office to where you'll be would be the best place to ask, followed by the local Audubon club and Nature Conservancy branch. You could scope out prospective spots the evening before (there may be a few chickens loitering on various grounds during daytime and evening Off-hours), and then go early in the AM.
The best approach, IMO, is dress super warm, bring a big thermos, snack, and something waterproof to sit or lie on, get there well before sunrise when it's still dark, get comfortable, and watch the show from then until it's fully daytime and the Unselected males get depressed and go back home to type angry comments under local news articles.
Depending on how close you are, it's important to not stick out or get up and scare them off mid-ritual. In my job that meant crawling in, being in the same spot for 3+ hours, and often crawling back out again. But: the whole spectacle, and experience never got old.
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Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2026 12:00 PM
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Subject: Tweeters Digest, Vol 259, Issue 20
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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2026 20:57:31 -0700
From: Jim Betz via Tweeters <tweeters...>
To: via Tweeters <tweeters...>
Subject: [Tweeters] Pangolin Wildlife Photography Tours ...
Message-ID: <9c1a327c-d1ec-4776-a380-f8659517d3f2...>
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? ?... in Africa.? Does anyone on this list have any experience with
this tour operator?
? ? ? ?We are thinking of going with them in March of next year?
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Message: 3
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2026 22:22:43 -0700
From: Jim Betz via Tweeters <tweeters...>
To: via Tweeters <tweeters...>
Subject: [Tweeters] Swans and Snows ...
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? ... in Skagit ...
? Numbers dropping FAST.? Went on a survey trip today thru the Skagit,
Samish, and Butler Flats.
Very few swans anywhere - including the large flocks (both now depleted)
at Sterling Road and
Pulver and Sam Bell.? Only one flock of snows - out along La
Conner-Whitney Road ... very
agitated and large groups getting up and moving ... without any
noticeable irritant (such as an
eagle).? Duck counts for all species except Mallards also down from just
a few days ago.? Even
though we stayed at the East 90 for over a half hour we didn't see a
SEOW and just 2 harriers
(one grey ghost, one female, not together).? Two RTH, no other raptors
(including Kestrels).
? - they'll all be gone soon, very soon ... Jim in Skagit
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Message: 4
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2026 07:17:08 -0700
From: Dennis Paulson via Tweeters <tweeters...>
To: <jimbetz...>
Cc: TWEETERS tweeters <tweeters...>
Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Swans and Snows ...
Message-ID: <38033BE6-6512-48A6-AC74-05FEFAF7B993...>
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On 15 March, when we saw all the swans and ducks on Sam Bell Road, the big shock of the day was driving by the East 90 and seeing not a single car parked there. We thought, ?yep, the owls must be gone.?
