Ptarmigan Guided Wildlife Photography Day in Cairngorms National Park
Available All Year Round
Prices
1-1 tuition £200 per day
1-2 tuition £300 per day (for you and a friend)
Photographing Ptarmigan is quite a difficult task, like Mountain Hares they live in the mountains but their territory begins at a higher altitude. Ptarmigan (Lagopus Muta) are an alpine specialist and can be found across the mountains in Europe and North America. Just like Mountain Hares, Ptarmigan rely on camouflage to hide themselves from aerial predators.
In the summer male Ptarmigan are a mottled grey colour with a white underbelly, while the female Ptarmigan are a mottled gold and brown colour with a white underbelly, with this colouring they are able to blend into the boulders and heather.
During the winter both genders change their plumage to be almost completely white to blend in with their snowy environment.
The Latin name Muta refers to the fact that these birds are largely silent and the only sound they make is a croaking frog-like call to warn of danger. This call echoes around the hills, which can be very misleading and feel as if you are surrounded by them.
Ptarmigan, as mentioned above, live in higher altitudes which makes the hike to them quite strenuous. I mainly visit a couple of different spots in the Cairngorms National Park that are more easily accessed.
That being said the hike to them is often over an hour uphill, at first its a well maintained path but eventually we will have to be clambering over boulders and heather. The ground is very uneven and full of holes, and sometimes boggy.
Luckily this bird is not actively hunted in the area where we will visit, which makes Ptarmigan quite approachable. Despite this, Ptarmigan like all animals have a cushion of security that we will try and respect. If we get a little too close too fast, they will move away on foot slowly and will only fly away as a last resort.
We may have to get low and crawl across the ground to get close.
I prefer to photograph Ptarmigan early in the morning, its a bit quieter and tranquil and the hillwalkers are not out in crowds yet, so the day will begin at around 08:00 and will last until late afternoon, around 18:00 or 19:00.
If you would like to extend the day in the summer to include the sunset, which will cast beautiful golden light on the birds and provide some dramatic lighting then that can be arranged with a little change to the price but we will discuss your needs.
We will try and make the most of the day but the weather may play against us as I will not risk taking you into the mountains when the weather conditions are too adverse and become life threatening.
The biggest risk we will have is wind, if there is a forecast for strong winds over the summits, then we may have to rethink our day, moreover the wind will cause Ptarmigan to hunker down amongst the boulders.
Otherwise we will continue in the rain and snow as this can often provide interesting images.
Personally, I think it’s a good idea to have an idea of what kind of image you would like to get before we head out. We can work on getting some close portraits of Ptarmigan with the colours of the heather and boulders in the background and we can also try for some wider images, placing the bird in its environment.
You should bring all of your equipment that you can and we can explore different images using the car to store our equipment before heading out.
We will discuss images, ideas, compositions and techniques throughout the day, and I hope to give you some information on field techniques for wildlife photography.
It depends on your level of photography as to how much we will need to cover, but I can give you as much tuition as you desire. The hike is quite strenuous, so pre-visualising your images will help decide what equipment you will need to take.
In the car there will be a box of fresh fruit and a box of chocolate bars, and some hot water to make hot drinks, such as coffee, tea or hot chocolate. You are welcome to help yourself and we will take regular breaks.
You will need to bring your own packed lunch for the day, but if you are unable to bring a lunch we can stop at a supermarket or shop for you to buy your lunch for the day.
Payment will be taken at the time of booking via bank transfer or Stripe to secure your dates
Fitness Level
As mentioned above this is quite a strenuous uphill hike of several miles and the ground in which Ptarmigans live is very un-even and often wet underfoot. We will often be crawling through the heather and clambering over boulders to get closer.
What’s Included
Photography Tuition
Transport throughout the day
Water, hot drinks and snacks
Species We May Encounter:
Ptarmigan!
Red Grouse
Golden Plover
Mountain Hare
Meadow Pippit
Dipper
Reindeer (they live on the mountain during the summer)
Snow Bunting
What’s NOT Included
Equipment Rental - unfortunately I don’t have equipment such as cameras, lenses or filters to lend you for the day and you will be required to provide your own
Lunch - please don’t forget to bring a packed lunch for the day, I would recommend bringing a little extra than you normally would as it is a long day
Recommended Equipment
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DSLR/4:3/Mirrorless Camera (a camera of some description, I use a Canon 1DX mark II)
Telephoto lens (such as Canon 100-400mm f4-5.6 or Tamron 70-300mm f4-5.6)
Prime Lenses like Canon 400mm f2.8, 500mm f4 or 600mm f4 would be very useful or their equivalent for your system
Teleconverters (such as Canon 1.4x or Canon 2x teleconverter)
Tripod (such as 3 Legged Thing Winston Tripod or Gitzo Series 3)
Waterproof jacket and trousers (such as Berghaus Deluge Trousers and Jacket) a real must to be able to crawl around the heather comfortably
Warm clothes, hat and gloves
Spare Batteries, memory cards and anything else you may need
Don’t forget your Lunch
Please familiarise yourself with the Health and Safety Policy regarding Guided Photography days and in particular the Risk Assessment for your chosen activity. By booking a guided session, you agree to the Terms and Conditions set out in the booking form.
