I have been wanting to photograph Ptarmigan in their winter plumage in some nice clean snow for some time now and finally got my chance this Winter in Svalbard. This was one of three Ptarmigan that were feeding on some patchy snow covered ground just outside the small town of Longyearbyen. To make this photograph I simply positioned myself down low to try and get the bird on the clean snow. Seasonally camouflaged; the Ptarmigan’s feathers moult from white in winter to a mottle brown in spring or summer. In winter, its plumage becomes completely white except for the small patch near the eye.
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