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2w ago

Grand Teton Deploys Robo-Grouse to Lure Sage-Grouse Back to Restored Lek

The experiment aims to draw a dwindling local population off the airport runway into safer habitat.

A robotic sage grouse is hooked up to a solar panel in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo. 
FILE: An American Airlines Airbus A319 arrives at the Jackson Hole Airport inside Grand Teton National Park in Jackson Hole, Wyo., on May 28, 2021. New experiments are trying to lure sage grouse away from the runways and other airport activity. 
A robotic bird decoy in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo. 
A robotic sage grouse decoy in a restored habitat simulates mating displays to attract real birds.

Overview

  • Park staff set up lifelike stationary and moving decoys at a restored breeding site near Jackson Hole Airport, with recorded mating calls starting at 5 a.m. daily.
  • The goal is to move courting birds away from active runways to reduce aircraft strikes and encourage breeding where cover and food are better.
  • The greater sage-grouse has declined sharply, with one Grand Teton lek dropping from 73 counted males in 1950 to three last year.
  • Rangers are monitoring the site with a trail camera through the mid-May courtship peak to see if real birds respond to the setup.
  • The RoboBroncs high school team built the mechanical birds using real feathers provided by Wyoming Game and Fish as part of an eight-year, 100-acre habitat restoration effort.