Ptarmigans – Nature's Perfect Camouflage

I love to climb or more specifically to be out in nature. This past week, I took a long climb to almost 13, 000′ on Longs Peak in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a rare winter day with mild temps in the high teens and virtually no wind – unheard of for Longs in January.

The scenery of the snow covered Continental Divide was stunning as was the lightly peppered Diamond on Longs’ East Face. I was completely alone for the majority of the day. I had started just before sunrise and enjoyed watching the sun light up the Colorado eastern plains.

But it was a few minutes of a six hour day that sticks in my memory.

I have climbed on Longs over 50 times, probably more like 70 at this point. And I have come to know a small family who lives there throughout the year. They are hard to spot in the summer and almost impossible to see in the winter. They sport a natural camouflage that is awe-inspiring to even the most skeptical of nature’s mysteries.

The ptarmigan family is smart, they look like rocks in the summer and snow in the winter. They stay still unless threatened by an impending step. They are quiet as the wind and still as a leaf. The only clue that they are alive and not a rock, are the black specks that mark the tips of their beak and their sharp eyes.

Up close you see a layering of feathers that would make any jacket designer jealous. Boot makers might take notice, their steps are solid and betray their camouflage only through a trail of multi-point foot prints.

As I walked along scouting out a route that avoided deep snow drifts, a sudden movement caught my eye. I knew it might be one of my friends. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked carefully. There she was – perfectly white, except for those black specs. I knew if there was one there would be more, so I slowly glanced ahead.

Sure enough, the entire family or flock was there. Some had stood up but some were content to stay warm in their tiny snow cave that kept the warmth from their belly captive.

I took a few more steps and spoke softly to the team. All in all there were eight ptarmigans including the first one I almost stepped on – sorry.

Amazing creatures – gentle, adapted, social and beautiful – nature at her finest.

Climb On!

Alan