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Photo by Norman Smith click image to enlarge

Birders and nature photographers from all over the country descended upon a bed-and-breakfast establishment near Dexter recently to view the mating rituals of the Greater Prairie Chicken population there.

"We had more birds than we expected this year," said Margaret Massey, who, along with her husband, Bob, has turned Greater Prairie Chicken watching into a local agritourism enterprise. "The hatch last year was not good because of all the rain and predators. I was surprised we had so many birds to view this season."

"We had people from Oregon, California, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and all parts of Kansas," Massey said.

The Masseys are also involved in a study of the effects of wind farms on the nesting habits of Greater Prairie Chickens.

For more information on the Greater Prairie Chicken or the study, call (620) 876-5700, or e-mail: mbmassey@sktc.net/