Thank you!! Yeah I definitely feel like I could have stood there admiring the bird for quite some time longer but eventually it occurred to me that the poor bugger was probably having the worst day of its life so once that dawned on me I moved on pretty quickly
Great Day! Lake Margorie, Pinchot Pass, Rae Lakes, Glen Pass to Kearsarge junction. I was sure that the bird was a white tailed Ptarmigan (a species introduced to the western mountains and Sierra Nevada in the 1970's). It also looks a lot like a Sooty Grouse, but the habitat is not "coastal forests". Enjoy the ride. "When in doubt, go higher."
Hey Allen!! Well, I have no tremendous experience distinguishing grouse from parmigiana, but I found an article that leads me to believe this may have been some sort of grouse (note the section on feet, in particular). birdguidance.com/grouse-vs-ptarmigan/ I was happy to have the opportunity to film this bird so comprehensively, it's not usual of course for wildlife to be so accommodating!!
Nice day! We did Glen and Kearsarge as our only dual pass day and it was a lot of work to do two! I've carried an Ace bandage in my med kit for thousands of miles and have never used it. But if I need it once, it'll be worth it. It's interesting how the grasses have really yellowed in many areas that were solidly green when I was there 3 weeks prior. We jumped off the rock cliffs on the south end of Rae Lakes into the lake...one of the highlights of the hike. A much warmer day though! Aside from Forester, I think Glen was my favorite pass. It's such a knife edge up there. We had a full-on party of people of there...seems to be not as busy for you which makes sense as the summer has wound down for many. I have an acquaintance that shared a hiking video from his channel. He clips a GoPro to his hat brim. After the "Blair Witch Project experience" I was so glad to get back to Beat! Nice work on your excellent filming. -GoalTech
Thanks, GT! Yellowing grass must be a very quick transition up there-- I suppose it went straight from water from snow melt (before your hike) into water from monsoons (before / during some of your hike) into no water at all (I had 25 days without any significant precipitation). Life is tough up there for grass (and everything else), live fast and hard, die young seems to be the way of some mountain plants (others, foxtail pines come to mind, live slow, live hard, and stay standing and beautiful even long after expiration!)
Thanks, Jeffrey! My phone has a 10x zoom lens built in and I was using that 10x lens for these shots. I was closest when I passed in front of the bird, then for the later part of the shot, I was probably about 8ft away or so if I remember correctly.
Thank you so much Brian...That footage of the grouse was so beautiful....what a gorgeous bird......beautiful section of trail too
Thank you!! Yeah I definitely feel like I could have stood there admiring the bird for quite some time longer but eventually it occurred to me that the poor bugger was probably having the worst day of its life so once that dawned on me I moved on pretty quickly
What a beautiful day! Great footage, very well done and thanks for sharing 👍😀🌞
Thanks, Anne!
WHAT a cool bird standoff indeed! Quite the difference with these passes -- esp. Glen which I recall was a real beast!
Man... Glen in '23... I just feel like Marlon Brando at the end of Apocalypse Now-- faintly appraising: "The horror! The horror!"
Great Day! Lake Margorie, Pinchot Pass, Rae Lakes, Glen Pass to Kearsarge junction. I was sure that the bird was a white tailed Ptarmigan (a species introduced to the western mountains and Sierra Nevada in the 1970's). It also looks a lot like a Sooty Grouse, but the habitat is not "coastal forests". Enjoy the ride. "When in doubt, go higher."
I was wondering what kind of bird that was - I know nothing about West Coast birds! Her feathers are lovely.
Hey Allen!! Well, I have no tremendous experience distinguishing grouse from parmigiana, but I found an article that leads me to believe this may have been some sort of grouse (note the section on feet, in particular).
birdguidance.com/grouse-vs-ptarmigan/
I was happy to have the opportunity to film this bird so comprehensively, it's not usual of course for wildlife to be so accommodating!!
@@travelinbeat Good article. I concur that was a grouse.
Nice day! We did Glen and Kearsarge as our only dual pass day and it was a lot of work to do two! I've carried an Ace bandage in my med kit for thousands of miles and have never used it. But if I need it once, it'll be worth it. It's interesting how the grasses have really yellowed in many areas that were solidly green when I was there 3 weeks prior. We jumped off the rock cliffs on the south end of Rae Lakes into the lake...one of the highlights of the hike. A much warmer day though! Aside from Forester, I think Glen was my favorite pass. It's such a knife edge up there. We had a full-on party of people of there...seems to be not as busy for you which makes sense as the summer has wound down for many. I have an acquaintance that shared a hiking video from his channel. He clips a GoPro to his hat brim. After the "Blair Witch Project experience" I was so glad to get back to Beat! Nice work on your excellent filming. -GoalTech
Thanks, GT! Yellowing grass must be a very quick transition up there-- I suppose it went straight from water from snow melt (before your hike) into water from monsoons (before / during some of your hike) into no water at all (I had 25 days without any significant precipitation). Life is tough up there for grass (and everything else), live fast and hard, die young seems to be the way of some mountain plants (others, foxtail pines come to mind, live slow, live hard, and stay standing and beautiful even long after expiration!)
Congrats on two passes today. How far were you from the Grouse?
Thanks, Jeffrey! My phone has a 10x zoom lens built in and I was using that 10x lens for these shots. I was closest when I passed in front of the bird, then for the later part of the shot, I was probably about 8ft away or so if I remember correctly.
Was Glen Pass the monster descent last year, where Shade had to conquer the demons of descent? It looks thoroughly intimidating, even without snow.
Another gorgeous day!!!❤️
Yes Glen was the most dicey one in 23, for sure. Exactly the one which gave us all, but Shade most acutely, some big challenge
The tent which name shall not be mentioned ... the Voldemort tent???
😅
Yes that's actually pretty much right!