"Grouse photography ROCKS!"  Introducing a new species which Chicks on a Grouse Trip recently had the pleasure to photograph.  "Meet the Sooty Grouse!"                      ©SandyZelasko, InvestInNature.org What a find! Unlike the last post, Christine and I were ecstatic about the opportunity to see and photograph this new-to-us species. Once grouped under the name of Blue grouse, the species was divided into two; the Sooty and Dusky grouse.  Continuing the story from our last post, a trip to the Eastern Sierra with Los Angeles Audubon had its ups and downs. Not being able to get within photo range of the Bi-State greater sage grouse was disappointing but finding the Sooty Grouse was the highlight! And I mean HIGH light! Approximately 110' in a Jeffery Pine tree, its unique 'booming' sound was heard before being seen. It took our group of eight at least 30 minutes to recognize its subtle movement and identify wh...

 If you have been reading our blog you'll remember I ended the last post mentioning that Christine and I were headed to Northern California to learn about and photograph the Bi-State greater sage grouse, an isolated and distinct population of the greater sage grouse located along the California Nevada border. Well, we are back to report on our adventures. Unfortunately, our morning with the birds was not what we had hoped.  As a controversial and vulnerable species, the Bi-State population never made it to the Endangered Species List so getting close to a lek was not possible; at least not this trip. Locations are kept quiet for the safety and minimal disturbance of the birds. However, we were given permission in advance to view one particular lek, located on private property belonging to Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It was nearly impossible to see them from approximately 200 yards away without a spotting scope...