Colorado “Chicken Odyssey” – Ptarmigan above the Tree Line

Colorado is so scenic. Every turn brings another awe-inspiring jaw-dropping vista. From the wide valley of the North Park to the climb over the Continental Divide. Through coniferous forests of Sub-alpine and Douglas Fir, Englemann Spruce and Lodgepole Pine carpeted in white to the rolling snow-capped peaks of the upper reaches of the Rockies.

Sadly the evergreens have suffered greatly this year due to a Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic, that has turned thousands of green acres, a grey-brown color. This is an aggressive native beetle that thrives in drought conditions. Maybe there was no place more evident of this damage than in the area that we looked for American Three-toed Woodpecker. All we could find was a Hairy Woodpecker on the first trip; yet as soon as we got out the van, the second group was looking at a three-toed working its way up a dead pine.

The open sections of the frozen Windy Gap Reservoir (above) hold many waterfowl. Mallards, Redhead, Hooded Merganser, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Green-wined Teal, Lesser Scaup, Canvasback and Ring-necked Ducks. Being a higher elevation body of water it attracts many Barrow’s Goldeneye, and amongst them a few Common Goldeneye for comparison.

The road leading through evergreens and aspens to Loveland Pass, at almost 12,000 feet, is one of the few passes over the Rockies that is kept plowed during the long winter. It is here that we search for White-tailed Ptarmigan on a blanket of snow, which is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Their camouflage is so perfect that we are left to look for a tiny black eye and bill. Their habitat is above the tree line feeding on the willows that poke through the snows crust, and that is where we concentrate on looking for them.

At this elevation one never know what type of weather we will get. For the first group is was a warm bright sunny day with surprisingly little wind. There were many people at the top, some snowboarding, some enjoying the view and others out for a hike. We started by scanning the nearest patches of vegetation and it was not long before Fred found a single bird (above) about 300 yards away. It helps when a white blob moves! We were ecstatic especially knowing how hard it can be to find one. As it began to feed amongst the willow stems we noticed that a steady stream of people were walking along a path not too far away from the bird. Some of us ventured up the path for a closer look and were able to see the thin red comb above the eye (below).

On my second trip, the weather began to take a turn for the worse as we wound our way towards Georgetown. The forecast let us know that a late winter storm was on its way. We thought we had a chance to get to the ptarmigan before it got too bad. Unfortunately by the time we got to Loveland Basin, the road conditions were getting too dangerous. For the remainder of the afternoon we were restricted to looking for a few yard birds in Georgetown as a steady snow began to pile up.

By daybreak there was eight to ten inches of snow on the ground. Loveland Pass was closed. The forecast was for a major snow storm to dump 36 inches on Georgetown and it was anyones guess as to how much more on Loveland Pass. We had to get out. Slowly and carefully we negotiated about 25 miles of Interstate 70, passing abandoned cars, fender benders, and those that could not make it up the inclines. Two hours later, as we descended the Front Range towards Denver, the precipitation had turned to rain and to everyone’s relief we had made it out.

The storm meant that we had to adjust our plans in order to get another crack at the ptarmigan. It was agreed that we would forego a few species in the central part of the state and return to Georgetown, all the way from Kansas, on our last full day. Four days later, the road to Loveland Pass was now clear, and we reached the top at 6pm. We were losing light. Where we had had the ptarmigan on the first trip was now completely under snow. We searched other areas and positioned ourselves from different vantage points. It worked. Ana shouted, “I’ve got one…two”. She was over the moon. We all were. It had been a long, long day.  We actually had six birds in all, and all but one were in various degrees of molt. Half white, half cryptic (below). Nature’s camouflage is extraordinary.

Next…..Final Day