White-tailed Ptarmigan - my first ever!

Yesterday, 22 November 2016, I was finally able to remove the White-tailed Ptarmigan from the top of my Wish List! Over the last few years, I have been with a friend maybe four or five times to look for these in the mountains, without any luck. I had told friends that this year, if I didn't see one of these grouse, I would build a snowman bird and photograph it. A lot of very deep snow in the whole area!

It was just so exciting to see 15 of these beautiful birds yesterday, with friends, Dorothy and Stephen. We would definitely never have found them without help from several friends. As you can imagine, spotting a white bird against a snowy background from a great distance is pretty well impossible - this photo was taken at Focal Length (35mm format) - 1200 mm with my point-and-shoot. A bit more grainy than I would have liked, but I am still so happy to have seen these birds and get any kind of photos. Shooting white on white is never easy.

"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