Greetings birders,

On saturday morning I found the single female White Tailed Ptarmigan and single chick at the Mt. Fremont lookout (reported Aug 3rd by Scott Carpenter), accessed via hiking trail past Frozen Lake from the Sunrise lodge/visitor center parking lot on the north side of Mt Rainier. I found the birds about 100 yards back down the trail from the lookout itself. As you hike toward the lookout, the trail achieves the very top of the ridge and there is a small snowfield down to the right. Stop here amongst the shale and low tundra greenery and listen for faint chicken like clucking sounds (the female keeping contact with her chick). The chick is now about 4-5 inches tall and is starting to show the beginnings of a red comb over the eye (male). Marvin Cooper and two friends were also there to share the sighting. The female walked up to within ten feet of us as we sat on a rock. The chick took a dust bath in the trail and then proceeded to nap there as it's mother stood watch. M!
y wife
and I then ambled up to the summit of Mt Fremont from here, hoping to find more birds, but no luck.

Ed Kane
360-862-0213
Snohomish, WA



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