Great Plains Grouse Expedition

Each spring, the Great Plains awaken with one of North America’s most captivating yet overlooked wildlife spectacles: the booming courtship displays of prairie grouse. This 4-day expedition is designed to encounter both Greater and Lesser Prairie-Chickens while exploring some of the last remaining strongholds of shortgrass and mixed-grass prairie.

With pre-dawn lek visits, carefully arranged access on private lands, and intentional routing through a diversity of prairie habitats, this journey blends intimate wildlife encounters, wide-open landscapes, and meaningful conservation stories into a truly unique and unforgettable experience.

The Great Plains Grouse Expedition is an immersive journey shaped by the quiet rhythms of the prairie and the early-morning pulse of spring courtship. On lek mornings, we rise well before sunrise to position ourselves for intimate views of booming and displaying prairie-chickens as the first light spreads across the open grasslands.

Between lek visits, we explore vast shortgrass and mixed-grass prairie landscapes in search of specialty birds such as Thick-billed and Chestnut-collared longspurs, larks, sparrows, Mountain Plover, Upland Sandpiper, Northern Bobwhite, and an array of raptors including Prairie Falcon, Ferruginous Hawk, and Golden Eagle. Expect scenic drives across wide-open country, frequent birding stops, and excellent opportunities for photography. Along the way, we’ll connect with local ranchers and hear firsthand how they are working to protect grouse populations and preserve native prairie habitat.

Mornings are early and unforgettable and the days consist of driving with periodic birding stops. Participants should be prepared for variable spring weather, including wind and rapidly changing conditions, with elevations primarily on the high plains (roughly 3,500–5,500 ft).

Day 1: Arrival in Denver

Late afternoon arrival in Denver where you will be picked up at the airport and transferred to Eaton, Colorado.

Overnight: Cobblestone Inn & Suites, Eaton, CO

Highlights: Group dinner, orientation

Day 2: Into the Prairie

We head out early to the Pawnee National Grasslands, where the open shortgrass prairie comes alive with specialized birdlife. Here, we search for Mountain Plovers on the ground and watch for both Thick-billed and Chestnut-collared Longspurs as they flutter overhead in display flight.

Continuing east through expansive prairie landscapes, we make our way toward Fort Morgan and Brush, birding along the way, before arriving in Wray. In the afternoon, we visit a local ranch where we meet with a landowner actively working to conserve Greater Prairie-Chicken habitat, gaining firsthand insight into the role private lands play in protecting these iconic birds.

Overnight: Doc’s Bed & Breakfast, Wray, CO

Highlights: Thick-billed Longspur, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Mountain Plover, Burrowing Owl, Northern Bobwhite, Great Horned Owl

Day 3: Greater Prairie-Chicken & Mixed-Grass Prairie

We rise early to witness the booming displays of Greater Prairie-Chickens on a private lek, where males inflate orange air sacs and compete in one of the prairie’s most iconic wildlife spectacles. Afterward, we travel through the South Republican State Wildlife Area, where the landscape begins to shift and eastern species come into reach.

As we continue across the open plains toward western Kansas, we scan for raptors including Prairie Falcons and Ferruginous Hawks before arriving in Oakley for the evening.

Overnight: Kansas Country Inn, Oakley, KS

Highlights: Greater Prairie-Chicken, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Phoebe, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Brown Thrasher, Prairie Falcon, Ferruginous Hawk

Day 4: Lesser Prairie-Chicken Lek & Prairie Reservoirs

We rise early for another unforgettable lek experience, this time with Lesser Prairie-Chickens, where males perform rapid foot-stamping displays and emit soft, bubbling calls across the prairie. Afterward, we spend the morning birding the surrounding grasslands before beginning our journey west.

As we travel across eastern Colorado, we stop at key reservoirs to search for migrating waterfowl and shorebirds, including breeding species such as Snowy Plover and American Avocet. By evening, we arrive in Pueblo.

Overnight: Wingate by Wyndham, Pueblo, CO

Highlights: Lesser Prairie-Chicken, Snowy Plover, American Avocet, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper, Chihuahuan Raven

Day 5: Southern Plains to Foothills Finale 

We begin the day in the arid landscapes of Pueblo West, where we search for specialty species such as Scaled Quail and Curve-billed Thrasher. From there, we explore Pueblo Reservoir, a productive stop for a variety of waterbirds including loons, grebes, and an assortment of gulls that occasionally include rare or unexpected species.

Continuing north, we transition into the foothills at Garden of the Gods, where we look for nesting Prairie Falcons among the dramatic red rock formations. We conclude our journey with a relaxed final lunch in the charming town of Manitou Springs before returning to Denver in the afternoon.

Overnight: Tour concludes this afternoon in the Denver area. No overnight accommodations are included; however, we’re happy to assist with hotel arrangements if needed.

Highlights: Scaled Quail, Curve-billed Thrasher, Canyon Towhee, Prairie Falcon, loons, grebes, gulls

A portion of every grouse tour helps support the conservation of the species and landscapes we explore. We contribute 5% of each trip to organizations such as the North American Grouse Partnership, Pheasants Forever, and The Nature Conservancy — groups actively working to protect native grasslands, sagebrush habitats, and vital breeding areas across North America. By joining us in the field, you’re not just experiencing one of nature’s most extraordinary displays—you’re directly contributing to its future.

Real experiences from recent Birding Man grouse tours

Dates: April 2 – 8, 2027

Duration: 7 days, 6 nights

Description: Trade the wide-open prairie for Colorado’s dramatic high country on this 5-day extension through alpine tundra, subalpine forests, and sagebrush basins. Designed to complement the Great Plains experience, this journey focuses on Colorado’s mountain grouse and the diverse ecosystems they inhabit.

We begin above treeline in search of White-tailed Ptarmigan among windswept ridges and lingering snowfields, then descend through montane and subalpine forests in pursuit of Dusky Grouse. In the sagebrush valleys, we witness the unforgettable lekking displays of Greater Sage-Grouse and Sharp-tailed Grouse, each offering a unique window into the evolutionary story of these remarkable birds.

Beyond grouse, this extension offers a rich diversity of western species, from rosy-finches and grosbeaks to raptors, woodpeckers, and alpine specialists. Thoughtfully designed to showcase the full elevational range of the Rocky Mountains, this experience reveals how dramatically landscapes—and the wildlife they support—can change over short distances, leaving you with a deeper appreciation for the complexity and beauty of Colorado’s mountain ecosystems.

This is just one of many five-star experiences.
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