Greg Lasley Nature Photography
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Protective coloration plays an important part in the life cycle of the Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus). The photo on the left shows the species during summer. The brown back makes the bird hard to spot by a predator against the dark lichen and moss of the tundra. The shot on the right, also a Willow Ptarmigan, shows the species in winter when its plumage turns white to blend in with the snow covered landscape. Both shots were taken at Churchill, Manitoba; the summer shot in June, 1988 with a Minolta X570 & Vivitar 120-600mm lens on Kodachrome 200 and the winter shot in November, 1998, with a Canon EOS 1N & EF 300mm F2.8 lens and 2X extender on Fuji Sensia 100. Scroll down for two more shots.

	The two photos shown here of a winter plumaged Willow Ptarmigan were taken in November, 2002, with a Canon EOS 1V and EF 500mm F/4 IS lens on Ektachrome VS 100 film.