A couple of days ago I mentioned a very old (12 yrs +) aberrant siting of
Ptarmigan on Vancouver Island. Gene Hunn asked if they could possibly be
Rock or Willow Ptarmigan.

Unfortunately, this siting was about a year before I began keeping field
notes, but as I recall the birds were mottled with white and brown across
their backs. They appeared to be in a molting plumage, presumably from
winter to summer as the siting was in May or June, as I recall.

The field guides I have show only limited molting plumages, but only the
White-tailed appears to have the white & brown mottled back. Also, have the
Rock or Willow been found on Vancouver Island? The range maps do not appear
to show them there.

Dave Nunnallee
dnun461 at ecy.wa.gov
Bellevue