Tromping up Alaska mountainsides through waist deep snow can actually be FUN -- when you can spend time with birds like these! There's an old Alaska mining town north of us named "Chicken." The story goes that the miners wanted to name their town "ptarmigan" after the "tundra chickens" that were common on the nearby hills. But no one could figure out how to spell it, so they settled on "Chicken" instead! Spell it however you want -- these birds are cool! The vast majority of the winter photos (white birds!) were taken at the end of Arctic Valley Road, across from Fort Richardson Army Post between Anchorage and Eagle River. The "Alpenglow Ski Area" parking lots at the end of the road are great places to find these birds. For more information, read the ptarmigan article on my Photog Blog.

The best of these and other photos are for sale through Alaska Focus Nature Photography: www.alaskafocus.net.