Treeline chickens

"Tell daddy about the chicken you saw,” the woman said to her young son toddling down the hiking trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. My ears perked up. I couldn’t believe it. Bridget and I had been searching for “the chicken” for five straight days. We’d probably hiked 20-plus miles looking high and low—mostly high (above treeline often over 11,000 feet)—for the White-tailed Ptarmigan; a small and elusive grouse-like bird of alpine tundra. If we found the bird, it would be number 600 for me in North America [birder’s North America is defined as everything north of Mexico not including Hawaii.]; a real milestone. It would also be a highly coveted photo prize.

Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the few places in the U.S. that one can get above treeline on a paved road. Hiking trails radiate from the Trail Ridge Road to access prime alpine tundra. But you aren’t limited to trails and one day we cut cross country and huffed and puffed our way up Mount Chapin. Spectacular views. No ptarmigan.

Read the rest of the Sparky's column in our July issue...