Thanks to a couple of birders from New Jersey I saw 8 WHITE-TAILED
PTARMIGAN along Pebble Creek Trail at Paradise on Wednesday, Sept. 23.

After spending some time scanning at the usual ptarmigan location and
along part of the lower Skyline Trail I had given up and headed up the
Upper Skyline Trail. Just as I was beginning to come down I saw a couple
intently looking with their binoculars at the low area between the upper
Skyline Trail and the Pebble Creek Trail. Then just as I had gotten
close to them, after reaching the trail junction and heading up the
Pebble Creek Trail about 400 feet, a GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH flew over
with some pipits. It turned out that the rosy-finch was what they had
been watching (with the pipits on the ground), a life bird for them.
Telling me this, they said it was good they had gotten the rosy-finch
and didn't have to hike further up, and it had been good to see
ptarmigan also. "Ptarmigan?" I asked. Yes, right here. Four over there
by that big rock and 4 more on the other side of the trail that had gone
behind the rocks there. The 4 to the east in the low area were resting
by the big rock. After some searching the others could be seen singly
and then all 4 at once for a short time before they headed over the edge
of the ridge. As I moved up the trail, the 4 to the east had begun to
move about and several other hikers and I watched. Then those ptarmigan
decided to join the 4 on the west, never mind the hikers in their way. A
couple headed right toward us, coming within a few feet, so much so that
one hiker asked "Do they expect us to feed them?" They crossed the trail
just ahead of us. A few minutes later I saw 5 ptarmigan heading up the
ridge and disappear from sight.

Today (Sept. 24), I hiked the Skyline Trail going the other direction.
When I got to the Pebble Creek Trail I hiked to the creek and back and
didn't find any ptarmigan. BUT when I turned at the intersection to
continue up on the the Upper Skyline Trail I heard a ptarmigan. I found
5 ptarmigan there between the trails, a few feet from the intersection.
After I watched them awhile, all 5 crossed the Skyline Trail and headed
up in the direction of Panorama Point (the opposite direction they had
headed the day before). A hike along part of the lower Skyline Trail
yielded a flock of HORNED LARKS. At the usual ptarmigan location, the
mountain goat appeared from above, crossed the trail and headed down to
the green area where the ptarmigan are often seen (but I didn't see any
there). There were SAVANNAH SPARROWS, GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS and
numerous AMERICAN PIPITS both days.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpcollection/

Carol Smith
Gig Harbor,WA
carolmsmith1 AT comcast.net