It’s a lek!

Lek is a new word I learned this year, meaning

A lek is an aggregation of male animals gathered to engage in competitive displays and courtship rituals, known as lekking, to entice visiting females which are surveying prospective partners with which to mate.^[1] A lek can also indicate an available plot of space able to be utilized by displaying males to defend their own share of territory for the breeding season. A lekking species is characterised by male displays, strong female mate choice, and the conferring of indirect benefits to males and reduced costs to females. Although most prevalent among birds such as black grouse, lekking is also found in a wide range of vertebrates including some bony fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, and arthropods including crustaceans and insects.

These tracks were made by a group of spruce grouse that visited our snow arena on the last day of good snow before the thaw.  Both males and females strode over the crest of the ridge one by one.  The males walked out with a purpose, wings held back a bit, their tails fanned out and wagging, head held low but straight.  The females ignored them, calmly searching the ground for goodies.  Fortunately, there were no physical encounters, just gesturing.  The male that wasn’t up to the task simply flew to a nearby tree to watch the outcome.

It was a treat to watch this display, which lasted about a half hour before they all disappeared.  Usually, we only see these birds on the side (or in the middle) of the road, seemingly totally oblivious to oncoming traffic.