Encouraged by recent reports of WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN on top of Table
Mountain, at the end of the Mount Baker Highway, my husband and I hiked
up there today. Not far from the end of the trail, we took a spur off
to the right from the main trail, and pretty much stumbled on two male
ptarmigan by accident. At last! I wept for joy. We watched them stand
around and do nothing for about half an hour, and while we watched, we
heard what probably was a hen and her chicks calling from down the slope
on the other side of the hill. By the time we headed that way, they had
stopped calling, and we couldn't find them. Seeing the ptarmigan was
worth the steep hike up, which was kind of scary on the way down.

Rachel Lawson
Seattle
<RachelWL at msn.com