The third annual Kansas Lek Treks Prairie-Chicken Festival is to be held in Hays, Kansas.

The highlight of this birding festival will include opportunities to view both Greater and Lesser Prairie-Chickens. No birdwatcher should miss seeing this yearly ritual unfold as males fight among themselves and display to females. The timing of the festival coincides with the peak of prairie-chicken breeding and female visitation to the lek.

Schedule of Events:

April 11, 2024:

6:00pm - 8:00pm: Opening Reception including welcome from AOK Executive Director and prairie-chicken biologist, Jackie Augustine, and sponsor tables (Sternberg Museum, with shuttle vans from Best Western; light dinner provided)

April 12, 2024:

4:00am - 1:00pm: Prairie-Chicken viewing from blinds (vans leave from Best Western; snacks and breakfast included)

5:30am - 1:00pm: Prairie-Chicken viewing from vans (vans leave from Best Western; snacks and breakfast included)

6:30am - 8:00am: Bird Walk (carpool from Best Western entrance; no snacks or breakfast provided)

8:30am - 5:00pm: Field Trips to Globally Important Wetlands or Prairie-Chicken Management at Smoky Valley Ranch (vans leave from Best Western; snacks and lunch included)

6:00pm - 9:00pm: 'Night at the Museum' hosted by Sternberg Museum including 'behind-the-scenes' tours, exhibits, prairie-chicken biology presentation, sponsor tables, and more (Sternberg Museum, with shuttle vans from Best Western; light dinner provided)

April 13, 2024:

4:00am - 1:00pm: Prairie-Chicken viewing from blinds (vans leave from Best Western; snacks and breakfast included)

5:30am - 1:00pm: Prairie-Chicken viewing from vans (vans leave from Best Western; snacks and breakfast included)

6:30am - 8:00am: Bird Walk (carpool from Best Western entrance; no snacks or breakfast provided)

8:30am - 5pm: Field Trips to Globally Important Wetlands or Kansas Geology Wonders (vans leave from Best Western; snacks and lunch included)

6:00pm - 9:00pm: Evening Banquet with Keynote Speaker Larkin Powell, author of Great Plains Birds and prairie-chicken biologist from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; presentation by featured artist; and sponsor tables (Sternberg Museum, with shuttles from Best Western; banquet meal provided with event ticket)

April 14, 2024:

4:00am - 1:00pm: Prairie-Chicken viewing from blinds (vans leave from Best Western; snacks and breakfast included)

5:30am - 1:00pm: Prairie-Chicken viewing from vans (vans leave from Best Western; snacks and breakfast included)

6:30am - 8:00am: Bird Walk (carpool from Best Western entrance; no snacks or breakfast provided)

Dates: April 11 - 14, 2024

Location:

Various Venues,
Hays, KS 67601.

Register Here

Click here for more information.