White-tailed Ptarmigan Today

White-tailed Ptarmigan Lagopus leucura

Today Bruce Labar and I headed for the Sunrise trailhead at Mt. Rainier National Park at 5 AM, getting there just before 7 AM. It was a beautiful morning, and we headed straight for First Burrows Mountain, where on the trail back to the Sunrise Campground 1/4 mile past the trail junction, a female White-tailed Ptarmigan and chicks were found last Friday by birders. This can be a very difficult species to find in Washington. It lives at high elevation, and is present in low density, making it pretty much good luck when one is located where it can be seen from a trail.

Two different sightings were reported this past weekend, and we tried on the way up the Burrow's Mountain trail to find ptarmigan not far from Frozen Lake, with no luck. I did manage to see a Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris which was a first of the year (FOY) Pierce County species for me. At exactly the area described by others, as we approached I saw a dust cloud coming up from beside the trail maybe 75 meters ahead. On looking it looked like a brown animal was in the middle of the dust, but the a ptarmigan walked out of the dust, apparently having taken a dust bath.

Others had reported up to 7 chicks, but we only saw 5 chicks.

Two of the White-tailed Ptarmigan chicks seen today.

We stayed a while to enjoy looks at this species, which I had not seen in 2-3 years despite many hikes in appropriate habitat. From there we headed to Huckleberry Creek Trail in hopes of finding Bruce the Rock Wren that has been found there, or maybe getting a photo of the Calliope Hummingbird seen days ago, but no luck with either. Still on the hike back down we found a singing Pine Grosbeak that seemed close by but we could not get a look, another FOY species for both of us.

I did have time for a few other photos:

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel with very full cheeks.

American Pipit Anthus rubescens

On the ride home at the wet spot on 134th Ave in Puyallup we stopped hoping for shorebirds, and were rewarded with FOY Pierce County Lesser Yellowlegs and Baird's Sandpipers.

Lesser Yellowlegs ringa flavipes

Always great to get to the mountain where when we go early we get great vistas and beautifully quiet trails.

Good birding. Steem on! Follow @birdersofsteem where birders can find and support each other.