We were driving up a narrow, rocky road on the Langanes Peninsula, in the remote northeast corner of Iceland, when we spotted a pair of Ptarmigan on the rocks. When we stopped the car, they slowly moved down the hill away from us. As quickly as the treacherous rocky terrain would allow (not wanting to break an ankle in this remote setting), I worked my way to a point beyond and below them. When this fellow hopped onto a rock, I was a little too low and cut off his feet, but I was happy to get my only series of frames of this species. Note that the male, shown here, was in partial molt from winter to summer plumage.
Rock Ptarmigan
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