[AK Birding] Ptarmagains at Hatcher's Pass
Subject: [AK Birding] Ptarmagains at Hatcher's Pass
From: anita.gomez
Date: Thu, Feb 9, 2012, 5:34 PM
We went sledding at Hatchers this weekend and I saw my first Ptarmagains! I though I'd never see them with my gimpy knee and be able to climb a mountain high enough. We were delighted to find them at the end of the road, it is plowed up to about 300 feet before the mine. The excitement started when the kis found a dead tarmagain 1/2 eaten, his remains were his full hind end and 1 wing. When I first saw it I though it was a rabbit. It was amazing to see a closeup of the leggs they looked like rabbits feet. They were hairy and not downy, It you looked at them from the front they were amazingly like mammal feet and upon closer inspection by look from the back view they were weree more birdlike since they didn't have paw pads. I tried to spread the tail unsuccessfully the tail had black feathers. Of course I didn't have my bird book and now see that there are two types with black tail feathers. Then I took the boys sledding. We drove to the Alpine Cabins and parked from there there is a nice wide snow made track that runs to the parking lot down hill. While the kids were sledding it they ran into more Ptarmagains. A flock of three. I wasn't close enough to see detail. The boys flushed them as they sledding a willow stand. It was pretty cool and well worth the drive - the kids had fun and mamma got her bird fix happy birding. Anita and the kids. If anyone has further information or has seen them sure would like to know what species they might possibly be.
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