If I'm not careful, this diary is going to turn into an annotated photo album.

Started the standardized lek routes yesterday morning, running the route in the desert. Nothing terribly exciting on or between the five strutting grounds. Total count was about ten percent less than the same time last year, which isn't surprising considering the drought and poor chick survival last summer.

This summer is not boding well, either.

The heeler sisters were quite disappointed when we got to our usual locations for playing games of "chase the truck," and didn't.

Ran the route in the dune country this morning. Again, no excitement, but grouse numbers were down considerably more than ten percent. And at least one lek had apparently been flushed before I got there, presumably by the eagle sitting on the hill to the north.

You try to arrange your route and observation points to give the best possible angle on the strutting ground. Both to see the lek, and to avoid having the sun in your eyes (which can be especially bad when using optics). Unfortunately, the last lek on the dunes route has no good observation point. Other than straight west of the lek.

With the freshly risen sun directly behind the grouse, and in your eyes. But if you can keep the sun out of your lenses, you can actually get a good count by counting the grouse halos:

The sunlight through their tail and breast feathers positively glows.

Now, I admit this is a poor picture. But those grouse were a third of a mile away when I snapped this shot.

Through the 22x spotting scope.

To get a good count, all you have to do is sweep the sage looking for those glowing halos. And keep an eye out for the occasional grouse hunkered down in the brush.

With the first runs of the routes completed, tomorrow morning is free. Haven't decided between the desert and north of the Ferrises...