Land managers, ranchers working to avert Big Open’s sage grouse from listing
WINNETT — On a bare patch of ground 15 miles northwest of Winnett, more than 20 male sage grouse have gathered in the pre-dawn to get their strut on.Sporting spiked feathers on the backs of their necks and a wide fan of tail feathers, the birds jockey for position and puff out air sacks within their chests like pillows, causing a distinctive drumming sound when air is released."What these guys are trying to do is show off for the girls," whispers Matt Comer, a Lewistown-based wildlife biologist Read more [...]