Spring 2005 Lesser Prairie-Chicken Viewing

Lek Treks: $75/person - Minumim of 2 people
Offered daily through the booming season, which runs from late March through early May.  Guided, viewed and photographed from our blinds on private ranch sites.  Return to town by 10:00 am. 

All Day Tours: $150/person - Minumim of 2 people
Guided bird and wildlife watching all morning, lunch and afternoon birding or sightseeing - opportunity to see and photograph more of our pristine habitats and native migratory species with our professional guides.

Weekend Packages: 2 nights, 2 days: $400/person - $350/person double occupancy
Friday Evening: Join us at the Cattle Exchange in Canadian for an evening meal and a get acquainted session. This is one of a handful of sites in the world where these birds still exist, and the best place to view their spring rituals while having zero to minimal impact on the birds themselves. Learn how conservation in the Texas Panhandle has helped to nurture fragile populations of these incomparably dynamic birds.

Lodging provided in one of our commodious B&B’s, our newly remodeled Canadian Courts Motel, or in the historic Arrington Lodge.

Saturday Morning: Meet well before daybreak at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce to eat a light breakfast and fill up our coffee thermos and then load up to make the drive to the historic booming grounds on one of our participating landowners. Please be prepared for cold/windy/wet weather. 65 While it’s still pitch black outside we’ll hear the unmistakable booming of the males as they approach the lek, and in the first glow of dawn we’ll watch the males challenge each other for the right to pair off with the female of choice. By 9:00 or 9:30 we’ll be ready to leave the blind, which is placed so that our exit will not flush the remaining males off the lek. From the booming ground we’ll take a tour by car of private ranches and get great looks at prairie dog towns, Burrowing Owls, a variety of prairie raptors, grassland sparrows, and migrant shorebirds.

Next we’ll head into Canadian for a tasty lunch at The Railhead Grill, Canadian’s newest restaurant, a wonderful eatery with railroad dining car atmosphere. A variety of hamburgers served on homemade buns are the stars of the menu.

Saturday Afternoon:  Those who want to explore new territory will continue on to a guided tour of Lake Marvin, Black Kettle National Grassland, and the Gene Howe Wildlife Management Area. Any number of surprises can turn up at these sites, particularly during spring, when errant swans, loons, or “grebes that don’t belong” have been known to stop by the lake. In addition to mergansers and other migrant waterfowl, the trees around the lake can harbor creepers, wrens, wood-warblers, and a variety of woodpeckers. Back in Canadian we’ll bird the historic Wagon Bridge, take a brief peek at the wooded edge along the golf club, and check the recreation and park grounds for rarities like the Lewis’s Woodpecker.

Sunday: Those who want a second look at prairie-chickens will have the option to revisit the lek.  After morning chicken viewing, there will be an opportunity to bird the high country habitat of the Washita River on the Arrington Ranch with a sack lunch provided.

Reservations at least 24 hours in advance required. Call 806-323-6234 or email at texasprairierivers@cebridge.net for information. Viewing guidelines apply to all packages.