Friday I accompanied grouse guru Mike Schroeder and another friend to the
Horseshoe Basin and Armstrong Mountain area of the Pasayten Wilderness
(DeLorme p114, A-1) in pursuit of ptarmigan. This was the sixth year that
Mike has captured and banded ptarmigan on Armstrong Mountain, with more than
60 getting a combination of 4 colored leg bands during that period. We only
found three in one group, including one already marked. I was impressed by
his capture technique, using a noose on an extending pole that reaches out
to about 20'. He records weight, molt, and a variety of measurements in
addition to collecting blood and feather samples for DNA work. All three
were males in the grayer "neutral plumage", which occurs between the
brighter breeding and the all-white winter plumage. Although this was a day
trip (a 7-mile hike with the last mile a real struggle to the top), past
visits had found 5-25 ptarmigan in the same area. We did not locate any
broods. Mike's dog Belle located the ptarmigan after about 2 hours of
searching.

American Pipits were still present, with about 50 getting up when a
migrating Northern Harrier flew over. We also had an American Kestrel and
about a half dozen accipiters, all of which appeared to be Sharp-shinned
Hawks, moving mostly during the morning period when there was a little more
wind.

As we approached the top of the mountain a plover flew over. Mike heard it
call and I saw it flying over. Two hours later we had probably the same
bird fly over calling, and it was definitely a golden plover. Has anyone
else found plovers using tundra habitat during fall migration? I'm
wondering if American Golden Plovers select these high elevation sites
similar to breeding areas on the way to wintering habitats, or if this was
an exception.

Also along the trail we had a Blue Grouse flush, a male Spruce Grouse, Hairy
and Three-toed Woodpeckers, and numerous Boreal Chickadees. There were many
pikas in the talus areas, and we found a dead one on the trail below a rock
slide, cause of death unknown.

Also had a Common Nighthawk Thursday evening on the way to Bridgeport near
Leahy Junction.

Randy Hill
Othello