Courtesy Noppadol Paothong
The Booming N Blooming Festival at the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge in Eagle Lake offers the chance to observe the unusual courtship ritual of Attwater’s prairie chickens in their native coastal prairie habitat. Held April 11-12, the event includes viewing tours to see the endangered ground-dwelling birds on their “booming grounds,” where the males inflate their bright yellow air sacs, hold their tails erect, stomp their feet, and charge at competitors. Birding tours, native plant tours, biologist presentations, and a children’s art contest round out the weekend.
