White beauty
Resting on a bed of snow
Almost a disappearing act
White-tailed Ptarmigan in the sun
The sparkle of winter
Before winter officially arrives
Jagged little peaks
Master of camouflage
Before the snow
Almost-disappearing act
Pika pose
A sweet encounter
White beauty
Winter in Kananaskis
It's Pika time - again
It's those white birds again
Upper Kananaskis Lake
Colour among the mosses and lichens
Strawberries and cream fungus / Hydnellum peckii
Arethusa Cirque trail, Kananaskis
Kananaskis - a winter wonderland
Forgetmenot Pond, Kananaskis
Shooting stars / Dodecatheon sp. (and Dandelions)
American Dipper / Cinclus mexicanus
White-crowned Sparrow / Zonotrichia leucophrys
Elbow Falls, Kananaskis
Tall Lungwort
Elbow Falls, Kananaskis
(Yellow?) Morel mushroom
Forgetmenot Pond, Kananaskis
Forgetmenot Pond, Kananaskis
A splash of much-needed colour
Arnica sp.
Star-flowered Solomon's Seal / Maianthemum stellat…
Clouds over the mountains
The beauty of our mountains
Small and fast .... and adorable
Keeping watch over the herd
Wide angle on the Bighorn Sheep ridge
Waiting for the herd to descend
Painted Lady
A favourite road
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel in a Pika's cave
Scenery along Highway 40, Kananaskis
On the way down
Pika, on a windy day
Farm in the foothills
Road through Kananaskis
Lichen on the rocks at Rock Glacier
Kananaskis before the snowstorm
Heading for the mountains on a hazy morning
Cattle drive in the mountains of Kananaskis, Alber…
A mountain meadow, Kananaskis, Alberta
Bighorn Sheep, mom and youngster
A view from Quarry Lake, Canmore
When the storm moved in
Bighorn Sheep on the slope
Town of Canmore, Alberta
A drive through Kananaskis
Storm arriving at Quarry Lake, near Canmore
Learning from Mom
Start of the storm
The beauty of erosion
Just like winter
Curious Moose
Gathering of the White-tailed Ptarmigan
Glowing White-tailed Ptarmigan
A few craggy peaks
Bighorn Sheep, number 18
Now you see them ... now you don't
Black eyes and beaks are a give-away
White-tailed Ptarmigan - my first ever!
And here comes the snow
Before the snow came
Red beauty on a scree slope
Mushroom at Rock Glacier
Love those little Pika feet
One spectacular fall day
Hungry little Chipmunk
Two winters ago
Hiding in the shadows
A brief close encounter
Shingled/Scaly Hedgehog fungus / Sarcodon imbricat…
Osprey on the hunt
Growing in the cracks
A beauty from mushroom season
01 The glory of fall
02 Hidden in the clouds
3 Nature's artwork
The beauty of fall
A patterned sky
Sometimes it's wildlife, sometimes it's .... cows
When fall colours are just a memory
Peninsular area, Lower Kananaskis Lake
It's that little guy (gal) again
Peninsular area, Lower Kananaskis Lake
Mid-squeak!
Hiding between the rocks
Distant haze
The beauty of Kananaskis along Highway 40
Light-coloured Pika
Spruce Grouse, adult female
Our beautiful foothills on an overcast day
Push!
Lichen at Rock Glacier
The long road south
Between a rock and a hard place
Lichens and moss at Rock Glacier
Lower Kananaskis Lake at Peninsular
Quite a typical view
A brief moment of rest
Peninsular, Lower Kananaskis Lake
Chipmunk with a yummy snack
A brief moment's rest
Young Spruce Grouse
Mushroom in a wonderfully lush setting
One of my favourite meadows
A gathering of female Bighorn Sheep
Northern Gentian
Young Spruce Grouse
A bright splash of blue in August
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
The cutest little furball
Female Spruce Grouse with one of her young
Tiny Hummingbird at Highwood House
Keywords
Authorizations, license
-
Visible by: Everyone -
All rights reserved
-
173 visits
A favourite mountain slope
Four days ago, on 29 November 2016, I was fortunate enough to have a third trip into the mountains to look for and photograph the wonderful White-tailed Ptarmigan. Friend, Shirley, had been out there before, but just missed seeing them. She asked if I wanted to go with her, and I jumped at the chance. I knew several other people who were planning to go, so felt a little more confident that we would probably be able to find these birds again.
Find them, we did - but, oh, what we had to go through in order to see them! Unlike the other two times I had been, on 22nd and 23rd November, this time the birds were not near the main road area but, instead, were first spotted way across the valley, low down on the mountainside. A few years ago, I had done a short walk along this valley in deep, deep snow and vowed I would never be so foolish to do it again. You need snowshoes and, even then, the going is difficult. Of course, I don't have snowshoes, nor did a few of my friends.
When I heard that some people ahead of us had seen a few of the birds closer than the mountainside, I decided I would at least start 'walking' and see how far I got. The first short distance through the snow was flat, but then we had to climb upwards through knee-deep snow. I almost had to give up, but thanks to friend, Tony, who basically dragged me up some of the most difficult parts, I was able to plough my way to where the closest Ptarmigan were. A few other helping hands, too, made this climb possible.
Several of the birds were in the sunshine, either resting or taking a few short steps. These birds almost look as if they have a small light under their body, lighting up the lowest feathers and making the bird glow. So different compared to seeing and photographing them on a cloudy, gloomy day.
These birds tend to walk around in just a small area for a while, feeding on the Willow buds, and then the group lies down, some of them burrowing till just the head and neck are visible, or some will burrow till they disappear completely under the snow. Every now and then, you can hear the little sounds they make. After resting, they repeat the feeding process and then rest again. A turn of the head so that a bird is looking away from you, and all that remains is something that looks like one of the many lumps of snow everywhere.
"The smallest grouse in North America, the White-tailed Ptarmigan inhabits alpine regions from Alaska to New Mexico. It has numerous adaptations to its severe habitat, including feathered toes, highly cryptic plumage, and an energy-conserving daily regime." From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-tailed_Ptarmigan/id
"The white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura), also known as the snow quail, is the smallest bird in the grouse family. It is a permanent resident of high altitudes on or above the tree line and is native to Alaska and the mountainous parts of Canada and the western United States. It has also been introduced into the Sierra Nevada in California, the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon and the Uinta Mountains in Utah. Its plumage is cryptic and varies at different times of the year. In the summer it is speckled in gray, brown and white whereas in winter it is wholly white. At all times of year the wings, belly and tail are white. The white-tailed ptarmigan has a diet of buds, leaves, flowers and seeds. The nest is a simple depression in the ground in which up to eight eggs are laid. After hatching, the chicks soon leave the nest. At first they eat insects but later move on to an adult diet, their mother using vocalisations to help them find suitable plant food. The population seems to be stable and the IUCN lists this species as being of "Least Concern". From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_ptarmigan
Eventually, it was time to head back down and along to the cars, repeating the difficult process of 'step and plunge' through the snow. It felt so good to finally reach the car!
Shirley and I had left the city and travelled south via Turner Valley, but came back to the city via Barrier Lake and Highway 1. While driving out to Highway 40 in the morning, we had stopped to watch a beautiful female Moose along the road from Turner Valley and then later, we stopped to watch a couple of Bighorn Sheep on Highway 40. Other than that, there was no sign of other wildlife.
From 1 December onward, the north and south winter gates will be closed across Highway 40, so these birds will be left in peace for the rest of the winter, until 14 June 2017. All the wildlife in the area will be free of human presence while they have their young ones in the spring.
Thanks so much for a great day, Shirley! I'm so glad you were finally able to see a few of these beautiful Ptarmigan in their winter white. It was very unfortunate that at least one person was not able to do the difficult walk and so will have to wait till late next fall to hopefully get a 'lifer'. Most people I know have/had never seen this species, so I'm feeling extremely lucky! Of course, even if one doesn't find the Ptarmigan, the scenery alone is just breathtaking.
Find them, we did - but, oh, what we had to go through in order to see them! Unlike the other two times I had been, on 22nd and 23rd November, this time the birds were not near the main road area but, instead, were first spotted way across the valley, low down on the mountainside. A few years ago, I had done a short walk along this valley in deep, deep snow and vowed I would never be so foolish to do it again. You need snowshoes and, even then, the going is difficult. Of course, I don't have snowshoes, nor did a few of my friends.
When I heard that some people ahead of us had seen a few of the birds closer than the mountainside, I decided I would at least start 'walking' and see how far I got. The first short distance through the snow was flat, but then we had to climb upwards through knee-deep snow. I almost had to give up, but thanks to friend, Tony, who basically dragged me up some of the most difficult parts, I was able to plough my way to where the closest Ptarmigan were. A few other helping hands, too, made this climb possible.
Several of the birds were in the sunshine, either resting or taking a few short steps. These birds almost look as if they have a small light under their body, lighting up the lowest feathers and making the bird glow. So different compared to seeing and photographing them on a cloudy, gloomy day.
These birds tend to walk around in just a small area for a while, feeding on the Willow buds, and then the group lies down, some of them burrowing till just the head and neck are visible, or some will burrow till they disappear completely under the snow. Every now and then, you can hear the little sounds they make. After resting, they repeat the feeding process and then rest again. A turn of the head so that a bird is looking away from you, and all that remains is something that looks like one of the many lumps of snow everywhere.
"The smallest grouse in North America, the White-tailed Ptarmigan inhabits alpine regions from Alaska to New Mexico. It has numerous adaptations to its severe habitat, including feathered toes, highly cryptic plumage, and an energy-conserving daily regime." From AllAboutBirds.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-tailed_Ptarmigan/id
"The white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura), also known as the snow quail, is the smallest bird in the grouse family. It is a permanent resident of high altitudes on or above the tree line and is native to Alaska and the mountainous parts of Canada and the western United States. It has also been introduced into the Sierra Nevada in California, the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon and the Uinta Mountains in Utah. Its plumage is cryptic and varies at different times of the year. In the summer it is speckled in gray, brown and white whereas in winter it is wholly white. At all times of year the wings, belly and tail are white. The white-tailed ptarmigan has a diet of buds, leaves, flowers and seeds. The nest is a simple depression in the ground in which up to eight eggs are laid. After hatching, the chicks soon leave the nest. At first they eat insects but later move on to an adult diet, their mother using vocalisations to help them find suitable plant food. The population seems to be stable and the IUCN lists this species as being of "Least Concern". From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_ptarmigan
Eventually, it was time to head back down and along to the cars, repeating the difficult process of 'step and plunge' through the snow. It felt so good to finally reach the car!
Shirley and I had left the city and travelled south via Turner Valley, but came back to the city via Barrier Lake and Highway 1. While driving out to Highway 40 in the morning, we had stopped to watch a beautiful female Moose along the road from Turner Valley and then later, we stopped to watch a couple of Bighorn Sheep on Highway 40. Other than that, there was no sign of other wildlife.
From 1 December onward, the north and south winter gates will be closed across Highway 40, so these birds will be left in peace for the rest of the winter, until 14 June 2017. All the wildlife in the area will be free of human presence while they have their young ones in the spring.
Thanks so much for a great day, Shirley! I'm so glad you were finally able to see a few of these beautiful Ptarmigan in their winter white. It was very unfortunate that at least one person was not able to do the difficult walk and so will have to wait till late next fall to hopefully get a 'lifer'. Most people I know have/had never seen this species, so I'm feeling extremely lucky! Of course, even if one doesn't find the Ptarmigan, the scenery alone is just breathtaking.
- Keyboard shortcuts:
Jump to top
RSS feed- Latest comments - Subscribe to the comment feeds of this photo
- ipernity © 2007-2024
- Help & Contact
|
Club news
|
About ipernity
|
History |
ipernity Club & Prices |
Guide of good conduct
Donate | Group guidelines | Privacy policy | Terms of use | Statutes | In memoria -
Facebook
Twitter
Sign-in to write a comment.