Sharptailed grouse are at it again.

The Sharptailed grouse are at it again.  Chasing the girls and fighting over bragging and breeding rights.  With their tails held high, looking like popcorn exploding, they are not hard to find once you get into their area.  The beating of the ground with their feets and their calls can be heard for a quarter of a mile.  Most of the battles are short but occasionally a battle over the center of the lek can be several minutes long.  I just witnessed one such battle last week.

It started with a challenger attacking the dominate bird on the lek.

The fierce battle ensued.  They locked bills, not unlike a lustful Hollywood french kiss, with both bodies twisting trying to gain control over the opponent.

Soon after the "kiss" broke up, both bird would fly into the air beating each other with their wings.  At one time, both locked onto the left wing of the other with such violence I thought we might end up with a broken wing - but they survived without anything broken.

To end the battle, the dominent bird "pinned" the challenger, by flipping it on its back.

To escape the fierce battle, the losser flew to the hood of my truck, resting there for a couple of minutes before it realized there may be danger inside.

Meanwhile, the victor rested on the ground showing the feathers of honor still in its beak, daring any other bird stupid enough to challenge him.

What a way to start another wild day in Idaho.  Two hours of sex and violence beating the heck out of  any TV show or movie I have seen - except for some recent Sage grouse shows.