White-tailed Ptarmigan
© Bill Eden
Published:
July 18, 2011
Subscriber Bill Eden of Denver took this photo of a White-tailed Ptarmigan
(Lagopus leucura) in early June 2011 on Colorado’s Mt. Evans, a mountain just west of Denver that has the distinction of having the highest paved road in North America.
Bill found the bird while hiking above Summit Lake at an elevation of about 13,000 feet. “Getting the photo involved a steady climb in thin air,” he says. “If you sit quietly, White-tailed Ptarmigan will graze and rest without alarm. This male is transitioning from its all-white winter plumage to its summer/breeding plumage. It’s not difficult to understand why they are not often seen.”
He used a Canon EOS 7-D and a 100-400mm lens.
See Bill’s past Photo of the Week:
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
See a Willow Ptarmigan in spring plumage
See a Willow Ptarmigan in winter plumage
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