Ptarmigan Follies

["Tim Avery" <tanager at timaverybirding dot com>]

It's funny how trying to find a bird can often turn into "insanity to 
find a bird".  On Saturday morning my dad and I left Salt Lake at 2:45 
for the 3 and a1/2 hour drive to Leidy Peak.  The point of the day was 
to find and photograph White-tailed Ptarmigan.  For me it would be a 
reunion with a bird I first encountered near Gunsight Pass about 8 years 
ago.  For my dad it would be a first.  I planned ahead, and brought my 
GPS to mark where I found birds if any, and my tripod and all that heavy 
equipment.  This is probably where my day starts to go sour.  My pack 
frame weighed about 45 pounds, to my dads 10 pound back pack.  But, as 
those of you whom know me, can see, I am a big boy and can handle the 
weight.  It took about 15 minutes to hike the 3/4 of a mile to the 
southeast corner of the peak.  My plan was to go up, my dads was to go 
check out some lakes and meet me on the mountain around 11:30 for lunch. 
 So I headed up.  I criss crossed the southeast slope to about 11, 850 
feet, which is about 100 feet below the crest to the peak, I started 
really searching here and after an hour working my way along the south 
face, I decided to go elsewhere to look... MISTAKE!  I had headed back 
to the base and began working the east to north slope when my dad 
radioed me to let me know he was on his way up the southeast slope.  I 
told him I would just meet him where we split up for lunch.  5 minutes 
later he radios me again..." I found em'".  He found 3 birds on the 
opposite side of the mountain from where I was looking.  Of course my 
mind said, "Go For It".  SO I headed back to the point where I headed up 
the mountain.  I got back up to about 11, 700 feet when my legs said, 
"Sorry Tim, your done!"  DEFEAT!  

It was a little disappointing, but at least my dad got to see something 
he had never seen before.  I on the other hand will make a 2nd attempt 
in a couple of weeks to try for this beautiful tundra gem.  As for the 
rest of the weekend I ended up getting a few of my Utah target birds for 
the year:

Red Crossbill
Black Rosy-Finch
American Pipit
Mountain Bluebird
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Cooper's Hawk (at Hacking Lake)
Northern Goshawk (near Leidy Peak)
Williamson's Sapsucker
etc, etc, etc.

Good Birding!

Tim

http://www.timaverybirding.com
Salt Lake City, UT or Wherever the Birds Take Me!
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