Subject: White Tailed Ptarmigan?
Date: Jan 6 16:00:46 1995
From: "Gates, Bryan" - BGATES at assessment.env.gov.bc.ca


To answer the question from Dave and Gene, Rock Ptarmigan and Willow
Ptarmigan have not been recorded on Vancouver Island.

White-tails do nest here, at least as far south as Mt. Arrowsmith west of
Nanaimo, where I found them in 1961. June hikes onto the alpine slopes of
that mouintain in each of the past 3 years have failed to turn up any, but
they may still be there. They still nest on other mountains in the
Vancouver Island Ranges north of Arrowsmith.

Thus, It is most likely that the birds seen by Dave, if they were ptarmigan,
were White-tails...but in a strange habitat at a strange time of the year.

Dave: If you can recall the exact location, please let me know. I'll
check to see where the nearest known nesting habitats are.

Bryan Gates
Victoria, BC
BGATES at ASSESSMENT.ENV.GOV.BC.CA