We have encountered ptarmigans at various high spots over the years – Cathedral Ridge, Balu Pass, Perley Rock, Glacier Crest, Dolomite Pass, Wilcox Mountain, Trophy Mountain, and Odaray Mountain come to mind. The birds seem docile and slow-moving, but when I went over to take photos of a mother hen on Cheops Mountain, she charged at me, hissing. Babies must have been nesting in the rocks nearby.

Ptarmigans are normally found on rocky hillsides above the treeline. They feed on willow and birch buds and catkins, seeds, flowers, berries and insects. They breed frequently with up to 6 chicks in a hatch. Harsh winter conditions and predation reduce the survival rate of the young, but the higher, remote locations have led to widespread populations in the northern mountains of North American, Europe, and Asia.

The white-tailed ptarmigan is the only species of bird that lives its whole life in the alpine, usually in rock slides, boulder slopes, and the krummholz. When we hike into these areas, its easy to miss the ptarmigan because of its summer camouflage and slow movements. When we do spot one, we stop to enjoy these docile, sedentary birds in their natural environment.

<a href=”https://kamloopstrails.net/wp-content/uploads/ptarmigan.jpeg”><img class=”alignleft size-medium wp-image-8338″ style=”border: 3px solid black;” src=”https://kamloopstrails.net/wp-content/uploads/ptarmigan-320×214.jpeg” alt=”ptarmigan” width=”320″ height=”214″ /></a>