Travel: Marcel Huijser and his bicycle and trailer packed with photo and camping gear near a sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) lek, Montana, USA.

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Marcel Huijser and his bicycle and trailer packed with photo and camping gear near a sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) lek, Montana, USA

Montana landscapes: Oops... full moon rolling down the hill, near Bannack, Montana, USA.

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Oops... full moon rolling down the hill, near Bannack, Montana, USA

There is quite a lot of preparation that goes into photographing sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) at a lek. Of course you have to know about the exact location of the lek and some basic biology and behavior of the sage grouse. Then you have to figure out where to set up the blind and what your approach will be to the blind in the dark. I typically set up camp about 1/2 mi away from the lek across a ridge and well out of sight. This way I do not disturb the birds when I am at the camp site but I am close enough to minimize the time involved getting to the blind in the dark. There is a lot of gear involved; that is why I use a bicycle and a trailer, at least to get all my stuff to the camp site. Then I simply carry the blind and associated photo gear to the lek on foot during the day and set it up when the birds are not there. The approach to the blind the following morning in the dark must be stealthy; you cannot be seen or heard by the sage grouse, so preparation and taking your time are essential.

This time my friend Emiliano Ferguson joined me. He has a project in school that deals with threatened and endangered wildlife, hunting, poaching and other things that we do that may negatively affect wildlife. He also wanted to know what we can do to help the animals. Sage grouse are considered "near threatened" (IUCN, 2013) and some populations in the USA are doing poorly. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has concluded that sage grouse should be protected under the Endangered Species Act, but this has not happened yet. However, this does not mean that there is no conservation action happening for the sage grouse. Some stakeholders, including ranchers and other landowners, are trying to make things better for sage grouse so that listing under the Endangered Species Act may be avoided. Some of the relatively simple conservation measures are to remove livestock fences that may no longer be necessary or to make livestock fences more visible to the sage grouse by attaching markers, reflectors or flags to the wires. These measures are especially recommended in areas with relatively high population densities and near leks where sage grouse concentrate during the mating season. The fence markers reduce grouse fence strikes by about 70%. This can be considered highly effective and I agree that these types of efforts are a very good thing. I am not sure though if this will be sufficient as the threats to sage grouse are varied and include changes in land use that are beyond the immediate control of many ranchers; particularly oil and gas and development.

Click here for other images of the blind, microphone outside the blind, our campsite and the bicycles and trailer we used to haul our gear.

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Image below: Emiliano Ferguson looks from the blind and approach screens at a sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) lek, Montana.

Emiliano Ferguson looks from the blind and approach screens at a sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) lek, Montana, USA Image below: Emiliano Ferguson setting up camp near a sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) lek, Montana, USA.

Emiliano Ferguson setting up camp near a sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) lek, Montana, USA Image below: Emiliano Ferguson in front of livestock fence with markers for sage grouse.

Emiliano Ferguson in front of livestock fence with markers for sage grouse

Asian landscapes: Sunset and rocky outcrops, Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia.

Click here for images of cinereous vultures. Click here for images of Siberian ibex. Click here for images of argali. Click here for images of Mongolian gazelles. Click here for other images from Mongolia.

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Sunset and rocky outcrops, Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia

Cinereous vultures (Aegypius monachus) pair and nest in a Siberian elm tree (Ulmus pumila), Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia. Cinereous vultures are categorized as "Near threatened" (IUCN, 2013). Interestingly, Siberian elm is an invasive species in North America and grows much much taller here than the ones I saw in Mongolia!

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Cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) pair, Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia. Near threatened (IUCN, 2013).

Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) nest in a Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila) tree), Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia. Near threatened (IUCN, 2013).

Asian landscapes: Rocky outcrops at sunset, Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia.

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Rocky outcrops at sunset, Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia

Asian wildlife: Argali ram (Ovis ammon) skull and horns, Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia.

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Argali ram (Ovis ammon) skull and horns, Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia

Asian wildlife: Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica), Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia. I found male Siberian ibex to be quite shy. As soon as they spotted a person they left just the scene. It is amazing how quickly they can disappear using only the rocky outcrops and slopes as cover. It also helps that they have four legs; they move a lot quicker than I do!

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Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica), Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia

Travel: Marcel and Yogi search the landscape for wildlife, Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia.

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Marcel and Yogi search the landscape for wildlife, Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia

Travel: Suuri adjusts the luggage on the roof rack after sunset, Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia.

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Suuri adjusts the luggage on the roof rack after sunset, Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia

Travel: We pass two people on horses on snow covered grasslands, near Bayan-Adarga, Khentii, Mongolia. Our car may be traveling a little faster now, but the horses won't get stuck in the snow!

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We pass two people on horses on snow covered grasslands, near Bayan-Adarga, Khentii, Mongolia

Asian wildlife: Argali ram (Ovis ammon) on rocky outcrop, Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia.

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Argali rams (Ovis ammon), Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia

Asian landscapes: Starry night, Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia.

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Starry night, Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Dornogovi, Mongolia