Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutas) on Cairngorm 15th April 2014

Filmed in mid-April while climbing in Coire an t-Sneachda in the Cairngorms, where they are, our constant companions :-)
In the past we've had them glissade and ski down winter climbs as we've been climbing up and we've often shared shelter behind boulders and in snow scoops, from blizzards and winds in excess of 100 mph.
Today it was particularly interesting watching them use their feet like crampons and then glissading down the steep icy coire headwall. I'm convinced they did this chirping and laughing every time we carefully descended from the plateau, the wee show offs!
The ptarmigan is a plump gamebird, slightly larger than a grey partridge. In summer, is a mixture of grey, brown and black above with white bellies and wings. In winter, it becomes totally white except for its tail and eye-patch, which remain black. It breeds in the highest mountains of the Highlands of Scotland on the Arctic like landscape there. Birds are residents, seldom moving far from breeding sites. In severe cold weather, birds may move from the highest ground to the edge of forests.
See http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/p/ptarmigan/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Ptarmigan

Видео Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutas) on Cairngorm 15th April 2014 канала Ron Walker