So, on May 26, I got to hear my first Sooty Grouse up close but out of sight and had about the most distant possible view of a Rock Ptarmigan on the Perseverance Trail. The day after, my friend, his partner, the dogs, and I regrouped on the Hemlock Slope of Mount Roberts. Once we made it to the tram, we started hearing some Sooty Grouse very close by, and we spent some time poking about the spruce trees to get eyes on it. Somewhere in the range of 10-15 minutes, my friend's partner locked eyes on the grouse well up in the tallest tree.
Nice! It was cool to see the bird we had been hearing the past few days. After taking a bunch of shots, we continued on the trail towards Gastineau Peak. The area around the tram was packed with folks off the cruise ships, but the trail quieted as soon as we hit a mildly tricky bit of snowpack. From there until the peak, we saw only a few other hikers and trail-runners.
We didn't see many birds either. I kept my camera packed until we got to the ridgeline, and just before the summit of Mt. Roberts, we began to scan the area for ptarmigans. We were soon in luck.
A ptarmigan that wasn't just a white spec on a distant mountainside! We watched this Rock Ptarmigan mull around its bit of rocks for a while before summiting Roberts. We were about to start heading down when another Rock Ptarmigan came flying in and landed on some rocks about twenty feet away from us! We couldn't believe it. I had to move back so that my 800mm could focus.
The dogs were super good as usual and patiently waited while I photographed the Rock Ptarmigan. Stoked on luck, I put away my camera, and we began hiking back down the mountain. At one point we stopped for a snack and to get a look at some of the brown birds which turned out to be, as I was hoping, my second American Pipits!
The way down to the tram was a blast as my friend and I glissaded every snowy decline we came upon (and which didn't lead into a cliff). Our pants were soaked, but it was super fun and super worth it. I kept my camera packed away for the hike down which wouldn't matter as we wouldn't come across many birds or other critters.
