Almost-disappearing act

Hope everyone had a happy Christmas Day yesterday. Always makes me shake my head when I think how much time and preparation many people put into that one day a year - and then it's over in the blink of an eye.

Today, 26 December 2016, Boxing Day, the temperature is -16C (windchill -19C) around 11:00 am. The forecast reckons that tomorrow should be a few degrees warmer, which will be good, as there is another Christmas Bird Count. Today, I have no choice but to open my front door and go and clear off all the recent snow from my car, so that I won't have to do it very early tomorrow morning.

Just slipping in another White-tailed Ptarmigan photo while most people are away from Flickr over Christmas. It's far from one of the better photos I was lucky enough to take of these amazing, beautiful birds, but I did just want to add it to my Ptarmigan album (where I do have much better photos). It was taken on the second of three visits, on a day that was completely sunless, making it even more difficult to photograph white on white.

Friend, Tony, had asked me if I'd like to go with him on 22 November, but I explained that I had already been asked if I'd like to go with mutual friends, Dorothy and Stephen. Tony was free the next day, which was wonderful, and so off we went. On 29 November 2016, I was extremely lucky to go a third time, and the sun was shining that day.

The snow was so deep out there, that it made walking extremely difficult, so after our first search from the road, Tony put on his snowshoes and away he went. He quickly disappeared from sight, travelling through the trees. After a long time, there was still no sign of him - at which point I started to get concerned. Then, all of a sudden, there was an explosion of white and a flock of what turned out to be about 14 white birds flew over my head and out of sight, across to the far side of the road. What a beautiful sight! Tony, who is an excellent, very experienced birder, had been unable to find any birds, until he accidentally flushed them! When I first saw this flock in flight, my mind whirled, as I never thought of these birds flying, lol. Then it clicked in that maybe that was what I had just witnessed. I walked as fast as I could down the road and eventually spotted the white on white. The lack of sun made it more difficult than ever to see them, at first huddled under a tree. Thank goodness they were still there by the time Tony arrived, as this was the first time he had ever seen White-tailed Ptarmigan. The two of us had tried several times in the last few years, without any luck. I believe most people haven't seen them when they turn white for the long winter months. So, to have seen this many individuals and on two days running, plus again on 29 November, I feel extremely fortunate!

Thanks so much for this second chance, Tony, and I am so relieved that you finally saw this lifer! These birds tend to walk around in just a very small area for a while, feeding on the buds of small Willow bushes, 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.

"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