Tweets;

Today I found 8 WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN, a female with 7 large chicks. This
was at the location previously reported by Ryan Merrill on Thursday, near
the junction of High Skyline and Skyline Trail. I arrived at 7:00 AM this
morning to hike up to the Skyline Trail. It was mostly foggy at that time,
but had sun breaks later. From the parking lot, I took the route pass Myrtle
Falls, up the Golden Gate Trail which joins with the Skyline Trail. Hiked
up towards Panorama Point on the Skyline Trail. When I came to the unmarked
junction of the High Skyline Trail and the Skyline Trail, I searched the
area for Ptarmigans, but was unsuccessful, so I continued on to Panorama
Point to enjoy the view. I returned via the same route and shortly after
passing the junction of the High Skyline and Skyline trail again, where the
trail curves around a bend, I saw in the valley below 7 large chicks
running around on the large snow field. This was at about 9:30 AM. I
watched them move off the snow field and join the adult female and the whole
group wandered through the area of tiny streams. I was later joined by
another birder, Irene Potts (hope I got your name correct), and we enjoyed
watching the Ptarmigan family for an hour. The birds eventually moved to
the snow banks that have eroded, forming ledges and caves. Much to our
surprise the birds then walked up the hill to come within a few feet of us
on the trail. We watched the family dust bathe, and wander, totally
unconcerned with the increasing number of hikers. At 10:30 the birds flew
back down into the valley and disappeared into the recesses of the snow bank
below. During much of this time I could hear the chicks chirping, so that
may help in locating them again. The female also called from time to time
when chicks would wander too far.

While on the trail I also had a discussion with a photographer, who asked me
what kind of bird he had seen earlier on his hike. He said they had looked
like "alpine chickens", 3 of them just sitting on some rocks next to the
trail. I showed him the Ptarmigan and he said they were the same birds.
His sighting was on the Skyline Trail near Glacier Vista. I did not walk
that portion of the loop to confirm. So possibly a total of 11 Ptarmigans
on the Skyline Trail this morning.

Other sightings:

16 Gray-crowned Rosy Finches - just below the location of the Ptarmigan
family

Many young Hoary Marmots out and about exploring.

5 Mountain Goats on the trail which leads up to Pinnacle Peak Saddle

Good Birding

Steve Nord
Olympia, WA
Rangersteve AT comcast.net