Greater sage grouse lek attendance saw a 15% increase over 2022, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department reports.

“The appearance of more birds at leks, or breeding grounds, is thought to be due to the natural population cycles of sage grouse combined with good moisture that benefited habitat,” the department said in a press release.

Officials reported counting an average of 21.1 male sage grouse per active lek across this past spring. The news comes as the annual hunting season for the birds ended Sept. 30.

Part of state management includes a conservative hunting season that undergoes thorough review annually and a process where the public can provide comments. Part of the study includes annual wing counts during hunting season, though it is voluntary.

Three of the four sage grouse hunting areas remained closed this year, though Hunt Area 1, which is the largest area and includes the entire Big Horn Basin, remained open.

“While last winter was tough on much of Wyoming’s wildlife it was not on sage grouse,” the report said.

Sage grouse have relatively high winter survival where habitat is not limiting. Sagebrush, which blooms in late summer or early fall and flowers right before the first hard frost, is the birds’ main food source and, even during tough winters, allows the bird to weather storms better than many wildlife species. During winter months sage grouse are able to fly to better habitats where sagebrush remains available.

“Wyoming invests significantly in efforts to study sage grouse populations and conserve sage grouse habitat, with local working groups contributing over $500,000 to this effort,” the department said.

The iconic western birds have disappeared from much of its former range, according to the National Audubon Society. Loss of habitat through clearing for farmland and overgrazing and energy development are cited as major causes for the species dropping from an estimated 16 million to about 300,000 in 11 western states. Invasive plants also threaten the birds’ habitat.

The Department of the Interior announced in July rule changes to revise the Bureau of Land Management’s oil and gas leasing regulations, which would ensure a balanced approach to development, provide a fair return to taxpayers and ensure that drilling does not conflict with protection of important wildlife habitat or cultural sites, said Laura Daniel-Davis, principal deputy assistant secretary for Land and Minerals Management.

“The Interior Department has taken several steps over the last two years to ensure the federal oil and gas program provides a fair return to taxpayers, adequately accounts for environmental harms, and discourages speculation by oil and gas companies. This new proposed rule will help fully codify those goals and lead to more responsible leasing and development processes,” she said.

Despite the update, conservation groups say more should be done and the threat of an Endangered Species Act listing was hotly debated as populations fell in the past several years. Game and Fish claim sage grouse populations rise and fall cyclically, with studies indicating Wyoming populations cycle every seven to nine years. Cycles are believed to be influenced by weather and climate, which impacts the availability of food and cover in the sagebrush ecosystem.

Wyoming sage grouse populations hit an all-time low in the early 1990s following an extended drought and loss of habitat, the department reported.

Annual observations are carried out by Game and Fish, federal partners, consultants and volunteers. Birds are observed on the ground from a distance during their spring mating.