Sunday, June 28, 2015

Destiny Awaits


As we headed towards the snow covered Rocky Mountains, I thought to myself, "Will we be driving to the top?"  

Note the cars in the distance.  They are tiny.  Also note the steep ledges:)
I soon discovered the answer to that question as we drove near steep drop offs along several cliffs. There weren't any of those guard rails in several of the "Ohhhh $@!*" spots but it's not like any of those things matter anyway. If you're going to drive or slide off the cliff, a guard rail really isn't going to stop a several ton vehicle. Standing on the top of anything tall is my greatest fear.  When I saw a Golden Eagle fly nearby our location within only several feet, I knew we were high up.  Oh gods, this birding adventure is going to kill me!



As we climbed higher and higher into the alpine region, it became colder, windier and much harder to breathe. But it was only here that we might spy the amazing White-tailed Ptarmigan.  So I white-knuckled it to the top driving like a true flatlander....under the speed limit and hanging out in the center lane whenever possible.  Micheal yelled at me several times to stay in our lane.  I saw a bird dancing in the snow but I couldn't stop because that was the rule.  And I had a park ranger behind me:)  After that drive, Micheal took over for the rest of our alpine adventure:)

male Mountain Bluebird
As we parked our car along the edge of a cliff, I scoured the snow covered landscape for a trail. We searched for a few moments before locating something of a path. I remember the research involved with this bird and I laughed.  In my naive little mind, we were in a forest looking for a bird.  But in reality, we were above the timberline in the snow hiking along a crazy trail that scared the crap out of me. I was still in the "denial" stage. I imagined my parents up there with us and mom telling me, "That's okay honey.  You go get your bird.  Your father and I will stay in the car:)"  That made me smile.  Humor is the secret to making a scary situation.....less scary:)


But if we were to claim our life bird, we would have to do what was required to find ourselves the White-tailed Ptarmigans. It's an alpine level bird during the summer and blends in real well with all the rocks. During the winter, they turn all white and hang out along the timberline region buried in the snow.  I was expecting this grouse to be mainly a ground bird so we scanned every rock and chunk of snow. 

American Pipit
During our survey, we discovered breeding American Pipits and Mountain Bluebirds!  All of these birds were collecting nesting materials or actually building their nests.  I hadn't expected to see an American Pipit at all. They winter in Arizona around our ugly farm fields but breed high up in the alpine level in the most scenic areas on this planet.  My opinion of the American Pipit really changed after this trek. They went from "okay" to "cool". 



As we sat on a rock, a Marmot popped his head out as if to say, "What are you folks doing around these parts?"

Marmot
So we continued to crunch our way through the snow. Where were these Ptarmigans????!!!!!  We certainly put a lot of time and effort into finding them!  


Micheal scanned and scanned. I kept my ears open. And then I heard this loud squawking. 


"There!  Over there Micheal!"  He put his binos on the birds.  I got the camera ready and together we observed these amazing birds scout around the area for food.  They did like to fly a bit more than I imagined and that was interesting to observe. 

White-tailed Ptarmigan
It was another high five moment for a tricky bird.  The White-tailed Ptarmigan is often a nemesis bird for many birders because of its ability to blend in with the surrounding landscape.  Just getting to the area can be difficult with the ever changing weather patterns. With that said, there are some who are lucky enough to have the birds sit only a few feet from them for a nice picture.  This was not the case for us.


We stopped at the Alpine Visitor Center after our hike and got a look at these birds up close in their display case.  It was an amazing trek finding this bird and coffee/hot chocolate never tasted better after this chilly morning hike. Have I ever mentioned how birding is awesomely epic?  Ok, I might overuse the word "epic" sometimes, but hey it is!

Least Chipmunk
Stay tuned for more next week as we explore the lovely Estes Park......

23 comments:

  1. Awesome adventure! so nice views! congrats
    Have a great Sunday!

    xoxo, Juliana | PJ’ Happies :)

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  2. One of the best hikes I ever made was along the Ute trail from the Visitor's Center. We were fortunate to have someone waiting for us much further down the trail, so it was all downhill. The trail was choked with wildflowers and elk, and I think I caught a glimpse of God too.

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  3. Congrats on the Ptarmigan sighting. Awesome photos, love the scenic views. Happy Birding, Chris!

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  4. I'm so envious. Last summer I hiked part of the Ute Trail through tundra, and looked in vain for the white-tailed ptarmigan.

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  5. Awesome! Some of those high elevation birds are epic, especially Golden Eagles.

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  6. You were very high and there were great views. I was surprised nice that there were beautiful birds and he was the one who was the target of the expedition. Greetings.

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  7. You are at one of my favorite places on earth. Going there in September! So glad you are doing some alpine birding. Wow!
    Note to Les: We want to hike the Ute Trail as you did. Haven't worked out the ride to the top yet. I'm sure you felt on top of the world!

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  8. OMG, i really can't relate to what you are doing!!! You pictured to us the difficulty of getting there, and i can visualize that through your lovely narrative, and i got scared too. I imagined at the beginning that the bird is a very spectacular one, and at the end it looks like a chicken, at least to me! Don't get mad at me, but i am not a birder. I do that to see waterfalls, hahaha! But even if i am not a birder though, and i am totally scared, i can join you in that area on top of the world, because it is so beautiful and just happens in my dreams. Oh i felt like i was with you, i can feel the chill, and i can enjoy my hot choco now after that wonderful climb. LOL.

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  9. WOW Spectacular scenery adn the birds you saw were brilliant. Bit oo high for m but I an glad you made it to show us all.

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  10. Fabulous scenery, fabulous birds, and a great post, Chris. Makes me want to return to Colorado!

    Best wishes - - - - Richard

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  11. Fantastic scenery and love the Bluebird.

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  12. Fantastic views! I enjoyed seeing the Pipit and the Mountain Bluebird. Congratulations on sighting the Ptarmigan.

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  13. What an exciting journey to find such an exciting bird. So glad you had your 'find'.

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  14. This reminded me so much of our "climbs" (in car of course) up the different mountains to the areas above the timberline in CO...except we weren't specifically looking for the ptarmigan! I'm so glad you found it! We didn't see any birds at all...I would have been so happy with the pipit! But, we saw tons of marmots and mountain goats. Great photos. A wonderful birding adventure!

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  15. I had to smile and also giggle at your summary. We have been there a few times and the first time, I had called 45 minutes earlier to make sure we could get to the other side of the mountains where we had reservations. They say weather can change in a minute. We were told all clear, arrived at the bottom and started up, and then looking out we saw the snow begin to come down and it came fast too, Elk backs covered in white and then we noticed no guard rails, yikes. Yet it did clear off as quickly as it came. You got some really amazing shots, beautiful, Do stop by for my 6 year blog anniversary, if you have a minute, I would appreciate it~

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  16. such beautiful terrain and critters to boot. :) thanks for the well-wishes!

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  17. Congrats on the Ptarmigan. I'd love that drive, but maybe not the snowy hike. Glad Michael took over the driving.

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  18. This is some amazing scenery! I love that you shared all these things with us.

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  19. One of your greatest essays Chris. The suspense was pure Hitchcock but I knew that in the final scene you'd get the bird! Amazing shot of the Mountain Bluebird and boy, do I want to see an American Pipit now.

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  20. Exciting trip! I have gone on two hunts for this species of ptarmigan, both in cold and snowy conditions and both unsuccessful. Did see Rock Pt's in Alaska.

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  21. So funny to see you so scared of heights! I am glad you got your bird, though! and, I had no idea pipits nested that high on the mountains! The things one learns as one goes birding are INCREDIBLE! I am glad you braved the elements and went!

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  22. Wow - what a great adventure :) Stunning landscape and wildlife shots - so pleased you managed to find your target bird :)

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  23. SCORE!! Your bravery was rewarded Chris :)

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Thanks for stopping by!