Western brawl

It looks like a fight scene from an old Hollywood western.

So I thought Brian Small's action-packed picture of two Lesser Prairie-Chickens scuffling in the red dust of a New Mexico ranch was a perfect fit for a story about a western icon in decline. And just like a pair of celluloid cowboys duking it out, the boys above are fighting over a territory and girls. The remarkable photo takes up nearly two pages in our June 2007 issue ("Home, home on the ranch" by Gary Lantz, pages 44-45).

To get the shot, Brian had to arrive at the lek at 4:30 a.m. and duck into a tent-like blind, which he had set up the day before. "They're sensitive," says Brian of the prairie-chickens, "and you don't want to disturb them." But five minutes after sunrise, the cocks began to strut, drum the earth, and compete for the attention of the hens.

Brian took hundreds of photos, but this was his favorite. "The bird on the top looks like he means business," he says. It's my favorite, too. -- E.M. 

Comments

[Mary Carlson]

I look forward to receiving my copy of the June issue and reading about these prairie chickens. Such action at a complete standstill. Although I lived in New Mexico for a few years, I never saw these amazing looking creatures. Thanks for the "preview."