Hello all, Saw five white-tailed ptarmigan on Tuesday 9/27/11 around 10 AM, about ¾ the way to the summit of Huron Peak, 14,003 feet. Also saw American Pipits, Common Raven, and maybe Brown-capped Rosy-Finch--did not get a good look. At lower elevation saw White-crowned Sparrows, Gray Jay, Hairy Woodpecker, and American Robin.
The rest of the story, if you’re interested.... Barb and I climbed Huron Peak today, and we were hoping to see White- tailed Ptarmigan on the way up. We were not having any luck until I glanced down and saw another hiker on the trail with his old German shepherd dog who looked like a coyote. I thought to myself, “Oh no, a dog! Ptarmigan hate dogs. Now we’ll never see a ptarmigan. They shouldn’t allow dogs up here. I hate this dog” Moments later I heard a loud squawk and saw five white-tailed ptarmigan take off just in front of the old dog, who looked very startled. The ptarmigan glided in a square formation across the slope, bright sunlight on their white feathers with the rocky terrain below, a beautiful sight. It was great to hear and see these ghosts of the alpine tundra after so much effort. I thought to myself, “Atta boy, Rex! Way to go Rin-tin-tin. I love this dog!” The ptarmigan were already in winter plumage. On the way up I noticed areas of fresh snow which seemed to be marked by big round footprints. I could not understand why a hiker would go off-trail to tromp in the fresh snow with round snowshoes. After seeing the all-white ptarmigan it dawned on me that they made these marks, body prints, as they roosted at night. I did not get a photo of the actual ptarmigans, but I did obtain a sort of negative photo of their body prints in the fresh snow. We had a great day in the high country--the fall color was spectacular. Good birding! Tom Wilberding Boulder, Colorado -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en.
