White-Tailed Ptarmigan

Just as pretty and quaint as a Geisha Girl!!!, Wonderful morsel, and they can be cooperative as well, On Whistler Mountain near Jasper, I saw snow move near my feet at 9K+ feet up the mountain, She was in full winter coat !!! They are almost invisible!!
I only wish my flash would work as well as the F5+ Nikon flash, That's a killer combo!!!

Great job of getting this one in the open. Usually they like to stay close to the rocks their plumage blends in with so well.

Very sweet!!

What a beautiful bird.

Great image Alan.. love the low perspective!

I think you did really well to get this bird. They can be hard to find in any season! I like the right-on exposure.

Alan,

Very well done. I believe I've only seen the willow P.

Jim

Very well done, Alan. A handsome bird.

This is a really cool looking bird Alan. Great exposure and composition. Love the environment too. Nice job!

Very nice shot - I always love the red eyebrow on Ptarmigans.

Excellent shot, Alan. That's a really nice looking bird! I like the foreground and background, too.

Mo--

You really should share the story on how you got this photo

Smashing shot!

Brian E. Small wrote:Mo--

You really should share the story on how you got this photo

By all means.....

Cool shot, Alan. I agree with your comments - these guys are really difficult to find. I once tood shots of a male for 30 minutes before I realized that the "rock" a few few away was the female bird.

Brian E. Small wrote:Mo--

You really should share the story on how you got this photo

After three attempts on three different days, Brian and I finally found a Ptarmigan after hikeing 45 minutes away from the car. Not having much hope on this third day, we left the heavy camera equipment in the car. So, once we found the bird, we decided that one of us should go back and get the camera (1 1/2 hour round trip) and one of us stay with the bird. I got to stay I followed the bird around as he fed, while brian set off to get the camera. The bird finally settled down for a nap, so I settled down too. After thirty minutes, as I slept with one eye on the bird, he woke up and just flew 200yards down the mountain accross this snowy ravine. (since when do Ptarmigans fly? ). I kept my eyes on the spot where he flew into a bush, and started runnind down and accross the ravine as fast as I could. As I started running accross the snow, I literally did a black flip, pounding my head on the hard snow and started sliding down the mountain like something out of a bond movie. When I finally came to a stop, My head was splitting me, I wanted to puke it hurt so bad. My hat, bino's and walkie- talkie were scattered half way up the mountain, and I lost the bird.
The pain in my head didn't hurt as bad as the thought of telling Brian that I had lost the bird.
When I finally gathered up all my stuff, I called Brian on the Walkie- Talkie to tell him the bad news, and so he didn't have to lug the camera all the way up. Well, he left his walkie talkie in the car to save weight coming back. I was a sitting duck.
I'm sitting there in my gloom, when, out of the corner of my eye I see, not one, but two different Ptarmigans. "Thank you Lord"
So, I continue to follow them. Different birds, different place on the mountain, but who cares. Next thing I hear a distant call. Brian is hundreds of yards up the Mountain. He missed the mark by a mile. He finally hobbles down to hear my pathetic story. Forget, that he's being carring the 600 up a mountain at altitude for an hour.
We spent the rest of the day sharing the camera on these two birds, litterly fighting each other like kids to get camera time. I'll never forget that day. I laughed, I cried, I almost puked and we got the shot. Good birds, good friends, That's what its all about.

A wonderful image and an even better story about how you got the shot. Was this near Guanella Pass?

Great story Alan!

Great shot too. Somehow I envision this one wanting to scan a little blue, provia, flash, never mind the overcast lighting...you did a nice job with the scan.

Who leaves a 6oz radio behind to save weight carrying a 600mm f/4? Might as well pull the lint out of your pockets too!!

For some reason the eye looks ever so slightly soft, might be an illusion b/c of the catchlight.

Well Done!

BZ

Aaarrrggghhh!! Fabulous capture of my nemesis bird, and thanks for sharing the story as well. I would have been delighted to carry the walkie-talkie.

Alan -

Great story! Good example of what us photographers have to go through sometimes to get our shots.
Cool shot, and worth the both efforts. Sounds like it was an Abbott and Costello scene .

I like the molting plumage on ptarmigans and this shot shows some nice detail.

I guess next time Brian gets to sit with the bird?

- Paul

Brian L. Zwiebel wrote:Great story Alan!

Who leaves a 6oz radio behind to save weight carrying a 600mm f/4? Might as well pull the lint out of your pockets too!!

BZ

Brian, That was my point exactaly! Brian Small, I hope your reading this!