LIKE the Scarlet Pimpernel of legend, the ptarmigan is a master of disguise, being the only British bird that changes its plumage three times a year. We may seek them here and seek them there, but the only place it’s possible to see these high-altitude grouse in the UK is above 2,500ft in the Highlands of Scotland.
The truth is, however, that most of us will never catch a glimpse of one of these remarkable birds, as they frequent some of the most inhospitable places known to man. Indeed, they appear throughout the world where Arctic conditions occur, as it is not altitude, but temperature, that dictates their colour and, ultimately, their survival.
Slightly smaller than the
