Laura Erickson's For the Birds

This iconic species of the American prairie is declining over much of its range. Tireless efforts by The Nature Conservancy, some state and federal agencies, and some conservation organizations are helping it survive. Big and tasty, prairie chickens have to be secretive to survive, so they are most easily observed from observation blinds during their spring “lek” displaying. My own recordings and photos made in 2005 were made at an observation blind at the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge in Crookston, Minnesota.

Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken is a critically endangered population found only in the coastal plains of Texas and Louisiana. I’ve never seen it.