Anytime I head out anywhere, I always keep my eye out for wildlife, so the other day when I was up on McBride Peak I was constantly scanning the area hoping to see some kind of animal. The only mammals that I spotted was a ground squirrel, but I did see three of Ptarmigan (pronounced “tarmigan”). They are chicken-like birds, and like chickens, spend most of their time on the ground looking for food.
I am not a bird identification expert, and the ptarmigan I saw all looked quite different, but I am not sure if they were different species or not. Part of the problem is that both Rock Ptarmigan and White-tailed Ptarmigan turn completely white in the winter for camouflage, and presently they are mottled, loosing their white feathers for their darker summer ones. They do blend in very well with their rocky surroundings.
At any rate, I saw three Ptarmigan and here are photos of them.
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