COLORADO GROUSE PHOTO TOUR
- Photo Workshop
- April 10-19, 2024
This workshop includes 2 mornings each of Greater Sage Grouse, Sharp-tailed Grouse and Greater Prairie Chicken photography as well as two session searching for and photographing Dusky Grouse. When we are on the leks we will be photographing from pop up blinds, which we will provide. When we are not on the grouse leks, we will photograph abundant other wildlife including Wild Horses, Bighorn Sheep, raptors, waterfowl and more. We will be driving to the lek sites, so there is a limited amount of walking/hiking necessary for most of the workshop. The spring landscapes of Colorado make for beautiful photography as well. The weather during the course of the trip should range from cold to warm with snow possible. During the lek photography we must be in the blinds very early and we can’t depart the blinds for bathroom breaks etc until the grouse have moved off for the morning (generally 2-3 hours).
Maximum participants: 5 photographers, with spouses/nonphotographers a total of 8.
Cost and Logistics
$4,950 per photographer, $600 single supplement. includes all lodging, local transportation, property use fees, instruction and guiding. It does not include meals, tips, transportation to and from Denver, Colorado or items of a personal nature. For cost for a nonphotographer spouse, please contact us. Arrival and departure city is Denver, Colorado.
Itinerary
April 10th – Arrival to Denver, Colorado, transfer to a nice hotel. Evening presentation on photographing birds and wildlife.
April 11th – We will drive from Denver to Wray, Colorado and have our first session with the Greater Prairie Chicken this afternoon. A nice hotel in Wray.
April 12th – Early morning on the lek to photograph the spectacular displays of the Prairie Chicken, then we will look for grassland birds before returning to the hotel for lunch and a rest. In the afternoon we will photograph the Prairie Chicken lek again. A nice hotel in Wray.
April 13th – One more morning at the Prairie Chicken lek then we will check out and if weather permits look for White-tailed Ptarmigan, Bighorn Sheep and other mountain species near two mountain passes then continue to our hotel in Craig.
April 14th – This morning we will photograph a Sharp-tailed Grouse lek, after our lunch rest break we will head to another location which is excellent for a variety of wildlife but most notably, Wild Horses. A nice hotel in Craig.
April 15th – Morning photography at the Sharp-tailed Grouse lek followed by check outand travel to Walden, Colorado. A bit of afternoon bird photography. A nice hotel in Walden.
April 16th – This morning we will be in the blinds early to photograph the amazing Greater Sage Grouse. After the grouse leave the lek and in the afternoon we will look for and photograph a variety of birds and wildlife including Moose, Elk, Pronghorn and Mule Deer. A nice hotel in Walden.
April 17th – Another morning on the Sage Grouse lek then we will check out and travel to the Montrose area where we will search for displaying Dusky Grouse. It may take some searching to find one but when we do they are generally quite tame and approachable when displaying. We will look for other birds and wildlife as well including songbirds, raptors and mammals. A nice hotel in Montrose.
April 18th – We will be up early looking for Dusky Grouse and other wildlife this morning, then midday we will check out and drive back to Denver, stopping on the way when we see wildlife. A nice hotel in Denver.
April 19th – Depart Denver any time for home with nice memories and many excellent photographs.
Ken Archer
Ken Archer is an award winning photographer who grew up in Colorado and has photographed extensively in the American West. Ken will give a presentation on photographing birds and wildlife the first evening and help you with your photography in the field.
