Definitely the hardest I've ever worked for a bird I've seen before! The photos look innocent enough, but the march down, and then back up, the snow trail from the top of Rendevous Mountain at 10,500 (with scope) was a killer! I'm not in the best of shape nowadays, but I really didn't know if I would make it back up to the top of the hill!

There were a pair feeding at the edge of this open talus slope in what was otherwise solid snow cover. Tommy Stevens was just a bit ahead of me and found the birds, and it took what seemed like forever to get up to him, just as snowboarders came by and flushed the birds (just over the rise luckily...)