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......