"Spring Sharptails!(pics)

[jonny_redhorse]

Waited all week to finally get down to the sharptail fields north of Meadowlands and sure enough,There they were! ...There was no sign of the "Dance" as of yet(watched em for about an hour)...these guys can sure be "flighty", they got up and flew about 5 or 6 different times in the hour I was there ....I saw 8 this morning about 10:00 and they were flying back and forth from open "spots" in the fields just enjoying the spring snowmelt and feeding on whatever buds they could find....just nice to see them!...all the images were digiscoped and the birds were close to 75-100 yards(including the eagle).....all in all,a great morning!

feeding on the buds and grasses.....

spotted this eagle sitting off of Hwy #5 not far from the Little Swan Store...

[finnbay]

Great shots, jonny! Do you have a spot to watch 'em dance?

[jonny_redhorse]

Thanks Ken!...going to be a tough call on the answer to your question.I know where the sharpies will more then likely be but the problem is it's on private land....by the nature of the sharptail,they return to the same "lek" year after ear,I only started seeing them in the fields last spring but never actually saw them doing the "ritual dance"....I know they are frequenting 3 different adjacent fields about 80-100 acres each and they fly equally between each field....yes ,I saw them quite close saturday but I believe that was only because the snow melted and bare green/brown grass was appealing to them for searching for seed/buds....from what I have seen and read,I really believe they will "lek up" more in the center of the fields on a slight raise or"knoll" but that will put them hundreds of yards from the roads....one of the reasons I purchased the digiscope!...I really don't expect them to do the dance thing close to any traveled roads,don't think they want to be bothered .....one will be able to "see" them doing the dance but will more then likely be quite a distance away.....I guess one could knock on a farmers door and just "ask" if one could setup a blind but haven't figured out which field they will be "dancing" in that particular day and to whom the field belongs to yet...lol! ....could be different each year...even though the fields are close to each other,not sure how "friendly" the local landowners/farmers are toward photographers...one way to find out I guess....but I will be going down and checking each weekend to find out the status of the dance thing for sure...will only get better as the snows melt...as it stands right now...set up a tripod right on the shoulder of the road and hopefully get some images I guess,nice if a guy has a 600mm lens ...one also has to realize that they do the dance "at" (and just before) sunrise and are usually done for the day by 8:30 or so, after that,one may see some "action" but already done for the day...gotta be in your blind or spot early I guess!....I'm usually still drinking coffee next to the computer at that time each morning...lol!

[finnbay]

I guess I knew a little about the dance, but you've given a lot of new info! Good luck! Anxious to see you get luckey this spring! By the way, I think these are some of your best digiscope photos.

[jonny_redhorse]

ya, there sure is a learning curve on this digiscope set-up for sure!...lots of "putsing"...setting the camera on full zoom first...then looking at the screen and focusing the spotting scope focusing knob until one sees a clear image on the tiny 2.5" lcd screen(not easy to do...lol!)....all the time trying to keep the subject in the viewing area and follow it with the window mounted tripod....one draw back is that if the subject moves at all it will show "blur"...digiscoping is certainly designed for "nonmoving" subjects!...one takes lots of shots and "sifts" through them for the best ones!....I'm getting better at it though! ....plus is a person can get those far off shots but a price to pay ....takes time to get a decent photo with the digiscope....guys gotta have patience for sure!

[JayinMN]

Nice shots johnny, a few more weeks and those fields are going to be pretty busy. I drove down there a few times last year at 5:00am and they were really putting on a show. Actually two fields were actively being "lekked" in at the same time. The one across from where you would turn to go west on Watsula Rd and then the other is a little north. I think it is Dart rd, it is not plowed in winter? There is a white farm house on the corner and right behind that house they use the field. They are a bit closer to the road then the other field. I am going to check out a couple fields on Hwy 7 too since I been seeing them there this winter.

[mcary]

Jonny,

You should give the DNR a call. They have some reservable sharptail blinds that they set up in different areas in the spring. I have one reserved for a day in mid-April. Just praying for a nice day so that they are out dancing and the light is good for photos. I did it two years ago and it's an amazing experience. The dance really is one of the more bizarre breeding rituals I've ever witnessed. Good Luck with the Sharpies!

[jonny_redhorse]

Thanks for the "heads up" Mike....ya, if I remember ,there's a public DNR blind in Palo,carlton, eveleth(maybe the eveleth one is considered palo, not sure) and a few out in the north western range of the sharpies...Thief River area....I'm going to try a bit of "luck" this year and just hope I can get a chance to see the dance down on cty #29 and Watsula road(Jay has em zeroed in also I see) and the adjacent fields,as you said,the dance should last a good month or so and should give a guy some time to get things organized...I'm relying on the digiscope,others are relying on the blind....the sharpies are there either ways the dance actually is going on already...just get personal satisfaction of maybe trying to get the chance to photograph the sharpies on my own...I have another chance to go to a field near thief river if I would like,but opted to take my chances near Meadowlands....maybe I'm just a stubborn ole Finn