Birds of a feather…

Special thanks to listener Caroline for expanding our knowledge:

We have always suspected in the mountain west that national media doesn’t even know about any other part of the nation than the east coast.  As soon as you announced “lek” as a word to define listeners in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho knew it.  Those of us who have had the opportunity to see sage grouse on display on a lek had a marvelous show as a gathering of many male grouse strut and display.  Tails are fanned out and up, breasts expanded and puffed up into two huge, white pillows, and a distinctive wup, wup sound they make – to attract hens, who are typically dull colored birds off at the side.  Leks are certainly not set aside by government game and fish folks, but are sites that go back in time and returned to yearly by these birds. If you know where to go to see the display that is one of your special secrets.