NATURE CLICKS #495 - SHARP-TAILED GROUSE

Sharp-tailed Grouse, Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Light was at its best the first evening I spent in Badlands National Park last week. Only a few minutes before sunset five female Sharp-tailed Grouse crossed my way. This was the first time I saw them in Badlands NP and my heart was beating fast, having this bird in the viewfinder and “killer light” at hand for an image.

Butt shots are rude, a general rule in photography, but there is always the exception from the rule . A Sharp-tailed Grouse has a “sharp tail” and as in this matter it can become a part of the story being told. This grouse is just a gorgeous bird and I was very happy to photograph it for the second time ever.

NATURE CLICKS #310 - SHARP-TAILED GROUSE

I always call it a great day if we have a first sighting of a bird or critter. This may not always be the best photographical moment but at least I try to make a documentary shot and hope to work my way up to a better image sometime later. We were told that getting close to some Sharp-tailed Grouse would be not an easy task and we would be very lucky to see them at all. I think it payed back to get up really early in Custer State Park and during this early trip along Wildlife Loop Road, we saw close to a dozen already the first morning. It was good that I fired away immediately, handhold and just supported by leaning myself against the car, because we did not see them at any other time again. Having part of the road in the frame is not very flattering but making “a” shot is always the priority if I see a new species. The Sharp-tailed Grouse gave us about 40 seconds until they took off. This is the best I could get, but hey, it made it already a great day early in the morning… 😊.