First Blood: Greater Prairie Chickens in South Dakota « Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

First Blood: Greater Prairie Chickens in South Dakota

What’s Up?

Excitement on the Prairie

On Wednesday afternoon the wind picked up considerably so Kevin decided to take a ride to our shooting location to check on the blinds. He should have been back in about an hour. Two and a half hours later he walked into our AirBnB in his very wet underwear! “What happened?” we cried out. “Two of the blinds were pretty much wrecked. Anitas blind had disappeared. I secured the two damaged blinds, walked back to the truck, and drove downwind figuring that the third blind had to be somewhere. But it was not stuck on a fence line as I had hoped. It was in the middle of a fairly large farm pond. So I stripped down to my skivvies and got in the water — it was cold!, I dragged the blind to the shallow end of the pond. It weighed a ton! I wrestled it up onto the bank in the fierce wind and eventually got the blind into the truck.”

After Kevin showered and dressed, he and Anita set the blind up in the front yard. I finished cooking another great dinner. The blind was dry by morning. On Thursday morning we left 30 minutes earlier than we had on Wednesday and struggled the 1/2 mile in the dark carrying too much stuff including Anita’s now dry blind. Kevin had his repair kit — a roll of duct tape, and after 30 minutes of hard and skillful work, all three blinds were set up. We were all amply rewarded by a second consecutive great session with the prairie chickens. There was lots of fighting going on. We quit by 8:30am and were soon headed home for breakfast and rest. I have 5747 images to edit after I finish this blog post.

I wound up keeping 247 photos out of the 8923 that I made on Thursday morning. I share two of the better ones in today’s blog post.

Speaking of which, today is Thursday April 11 2024. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have half as much fun as I did this morning.

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​Don’t miss the Photo Expo in Little Rock! Regardless of your experience level, join hundreds of photographers, as we take over Little Rock on May 17-18, 2024. The Little Rock Photo Expo offers a remarkable experience packed with presentations, hands-on demonstrations, and a massive trade show featuring all the major photographic companies. Explore the latest gear, trade in your old camera equipment, and gain valuable insights from our experts. Get up close and personal with world-renowned keynote speakers and seize countless unique photo opportunities. Bring your camera and get ready for a weekend of fun, learning, and inspiration to elevate YOUR photography to new heights.

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I checked on renting a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens for a week. The cost is only $122.00. LensCap: Damage Only coverage can be added for a very low $18.00. Going with LensCap: Damage & Theft would be $27.00. The shipping charge varies. They offer an interesting program called Lensrentals HD. By signing up for this shipping discount program ($99.00/year), you’ll get free Standard Shipping on all the orders you place.

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Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often stave you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created on 10 April 2024 at Fort Fort Pierre National Grasslands, SD. Seated in a large pop-up blind, I used the lowered Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/2000 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 7:38:47am on a clear and sunny morning.

Tracking: Expand Spot S/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.

#1: Great Prairie Chicken displaying with pinnae erect

The Pinnate Feathers

The pinnated (symmetrical structure) feathers atop a grouse’s head are used as part of the male’s display. At time they might be erected to the front or to the rear. I love this image because it appears that the bird is using them for flight. That is, of course, both impossible and aerodynamically ridiculous.

This image was also created on 10 April 2024 at Fort Fort Pierre National Grasslands, SD. Again, seated in a large pop-up blind, I used the lowered Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. ISO 1250. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/3200 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 8:11:28am on a clear and sunny morning.

Tracking: Expand Spot S/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.

#2: Great Prairie Chicken displaying

a9 iii AF. Or Not?

On Wednesday morning, I used the a9 iii for about two hours and then switched to the a-1. It was painfully clear that the Bird Face/Eye recognition AF with the a9 iii was absolutely better than with the a1. On Thursday there were many squabbles. Anita North had her brand new a9 iii with her but opted to use one of her a1 bodies. With all the fighting, Anita created dozens of spectacular images that left Kevin and I gasping and envious.

Go figure …

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

8 comments to First Blood: Greater Prairie Chickens in South Dakota

  • David Neilson

    Hey Artie: Well it’s a start. Move the blinds closer. You don’t need 840mm to shoot portraits or face-offs. 600mm with a faster shutter and greater depth will be perfect. For fights switch to the 300mm f2.8 with or without the teleconverter. That should give you plenty of real estate to avoid clipped wings. Arrive earlier and shoot the Milky Way. Enjoy the dance.

    Take care, Dave

    • Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Thanks for the advice. I know that yo have lots of experience photographing game birds. Do understand, however, that not all leks are created equal. The one we are working is huge, about 300 yards long. And we had no fights or flight at all on or first day. For me, on this lek, 840 is perfect with the great weather we have been enjoying.

      with love, artie

  • Jeff

    Beauties. Awesome birds. You guys owe Kevin a few dinners or drinks or the biggest piece of cheese cake or a large root beer float. He’s a dedicated man. Thanks for sharing.

  • Steven Colt Pumilia

    Wow that must have been one cold pond…..

  • Sweet image there with #1–agree about the “flight feathers” on the neck. Never saw a Prairie Chicken in ND, only Sharp-tailed Grouse. Did have a Rue blind flattened by wind overnight despite having carried a small boulder up the hill to serve as ballast. Great experience being on a hilltop lek at dawn—enjoy!

    • Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      No more Prairie Chickens in ND. They are all hybridized with Sharp-tails. We are in SD. We locked the barn after the horses escaped — we have been taking the blinds down every day 🙂

      with love, artie

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