Today, we headed out of Tucson, stopping at a local wetlands to capture some bird photographs and then at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum for the Raptor Free Flight demonstration. We saw several types of ravens, including the Chihuahuan Raven. The Crested Caracaras, Harris Hawks, and Great Horned Owl each took their turn free-flying through, around, and over the desert floor, untethered and seemingly happy to have a turn checking out the surroundings.  By 11:30 am, we hit the road again, ending the day in White Sands National Park with a spectacular sunset over the wind-swept mountains of sand and blooming yucca. Slippery like icy snow, driving on the gypsum sand-covered roads gave us a small taste of the off-roading yet to come.  

Merriam's Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo merriami) We headed out of the Palomar Mountain area (near San Diego in Southern California) early this morning and across from Lake Henshaw we came across a flock of wild turkeys. The turkey is part of the same bird family as grouse ( Phasianidae) and interestingly, there is only one turkey species in North America.  There are five subspecies, however, and the Merriam Wild Turkey is primarily found in our part of the country including California, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Montana, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado.  We are likely to see them again on our trip.    

According to the North American Grouse Partnership (NAGP) there are seventeen species and subspecies of grouse still living in North America. Of these species Christine and I will be working with our partners to photograph the beauty of and document issues plaguing a variety of these iconic grassland birds.  Research began after our first encounter with a Greater Sage Grouse lek last April in Utah and has grown instrumentally. Credit must be given to Noppadol Paothong for his publications, Sage Grouse; Icon of the West and Save the Last Dance; A Story of North American Grassland Grouse . His imagery and attention to detail supersede any dreams I have of only one season on the prairie. A good place to start learning about the birds. There are many resources on the internet but the internet alone can't put you in the right place at the right time. So we thank our supporters, guides and trusted partners in advance for this opportunity. Cheers to a highly successful and educational j

We have been working on this project for over a year, having had our first opportunity to view the Greater Sage Grouse mating early one morning in Utah.  The entire session from the time the birds flew into the lek before any daylight and then flew out with the rising sun was exhilarating and definitely a challenge to photograph. This year, we are searching in several states for different types of Galliformes in the Phasianidae family and more specifically the tribe Tetraonini.  We will be searching out mating activity on leks and hope to come away with a better understanding of the behaviors, the environments, and the ecological issues that impact their populations.