The Ptarmigan Lagopus mutus lives exclusively at high elevations on Scottish mountains amongst tundra-like terrain. During winter, ptarmigan are almost completely white, providing effective camouflage against snow. In late spring, as the snow melts, ptarmigan moult into mottled brown and grey plumage, allowing them to blend into rocky tundra environments. This remarkable adaptation increases survival by reducing visibility to predators.
John Macfarlane lives in Cumbria, with his wife Rosamund, another keen photographer. They are both patrons of Friends of the Lake District. His interests in photography include wildlife, travel, landscape, and subscape photography in the mountain becks, pots and falls of the Lake District and Scotland. He enjoys using images and video for visual story telling and lecturing.
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