Saturday (29 July 2006) I visited the Mt Baker area with my sister and brother-in-law. We were hoping to have an encounter with a ptarmigan. Knowing that the odds for locating this bird can be slim, we were prepared to enjoy whatever birds the day might provide.

On arrival at Artist Point parking lot early in the morning, the fog was thick and the trail head was covered with snow. The odds of finding a ptarmigan seemed tiny. After some searching, we located the bare trail and continued. At times snow would cover the trail again, and we would have to locate it once more. We were concerned that the fog may thicken and possibly prevent us from finding our way back to the parking lot. With that in mind, we continued carefully along the Table Mountain trail. Shortly after the switchbacks, the trail leveled out. A Sooty Grouse flushed from near the trail. The bird remained ahead of us and we saw it twice more.

Within a few minutes of our final grouse viewing, a female White-tailed Ptarmigan appeared on the trail. The bird was low and covered in dust. When she stood, out popped a very young chick! The 2 sauntered off and we were able to watch them for several minutes.

On our return, a young Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch perched on a nearby rock. A nice bonus. A few juncos flitted about. As we approached the parking lot, we heard a Spotted Towhee.

The quantity was small but the quality was high. A link to photos is below.

It was a good day.

Marv Breece
Seattle, WA


http://www.pbase.com/marvbreece/whitetailed_ptarmigan