UOS field trip -- White-tailed Ptarmigan

["Utah Birds" <utahbirds at excite dot com>]

<From Dennis Shirley -- UOS Field Trip Coordinator>

  The Utah Ornothological Society (UOS) is sponsoring a field trip this coming Saturday, August 7, 2004.  We will be going into the area around Leidy Peak in the eastern end of the Uinta Mountains in search of the WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN.  All birders of the state are invited.
   We will meet at the Highland Trail on the east side of Leidy Peak just above Hacking Lake at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday. To get there, take State Highway 44 north from Vernal
approximately 20 miles (I exphasize approximately).  You will have entered the Ashley National Forest.  There will be a major intersection where you will turn left onto the Red Cloud Loop Road.  There may be a road sign here with directions to Brush Creek, Oak Park Reservoir, Trout Creek Guard Station, and several campgrounds. Take this road to a junction near Trout Creek Guard Station where you will go towards Long Park Reservoir and Hacking Lake.  This forest service road should be number 043.  At  Hacking Lake, continue approximately a mile further to where the road ends.  All totaled, from where you turn off  Highway 44 to Hacking Lake should be about 15 - 20 miles. 
   Some are planning to camp at the trail head above Hacking Lake on Friday night.
This would probably be best, because it's a long way from the Wasatch Front and may be difficult to find in the dark on Saturday morning.  Another option would be to spend the night in Vernal if you don't want to camp.
   Leidy Peak is one of the highest peaks (12,220 feet) in the east end of the Uinta Mountains and is probably the eastern boundary of ptarmigan in the Uintas.  It is the closest and most easily accessible area to find ptarmigan.  Within a short 20 minute hike, we will be in ptarmigan habitat.  We will spend the day hiking the talus slopes and terraces of Leidy Peak using two springer spaniel hunting dogs and keeping in contact with radios.  If the birds are there, we should have a fairly good chance of finding them.  






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