5P Myers 1978 Lagopus lagopus At Kasook, Meade River, North Slope Alaska 22 May 2230 8 Lagopus 8. gave flight display over Meade River. Solitary. Saw another this evening, a quiet bird by river bluff. 23 May scattered h.i. by river bluff at (6,41). Now displaying. The 88 are all in good breeding plumage [sketch of bird with annotations: reddish brown, white sharp line] The 88 have begun to become molt out of winter plumage with heavy moltling in the head & along the body. 24 May 2 88 in border display shrub. One 8 incompletely molted into its breeding plumage, still retaining white feathers in its crown. I suspect that if the weather were to turn we would be hit by a flurry of ptarmigan breeding displays. 1 good flight display. evening (2000-2230) frequent display by 88 along river bluff near (6,41). It appears that many 88 are on territories & protecting 8, but that there are some that aren't. 25 May walking transects today. Lagopus 8. restricted to within ~200 m of areas melting early, especially by bluffs. this was very clear today because from the beginning of T1 through to unit 7,14 there were no ptarmigan. there had also been virtually 100% snow cover. But at 7,1 of T4 we came to an exposed patch running along the rim of Pingo Lake. And wow - there was a tonny ptarmigan. 8 displaying all over the tundra in sites such as this, particularly by the Meade River bluff. 30 May a flurry of Lagopus lagopus activity this AM. around the W end of the airstrip. This is where cockiness were mounting ptarmigan several days ago. 88 chasing 88, 88 chasing 88. Flight displays. Have we witnessed an experiment in the removal of territorial birds?? I watched one 88 harass 2 88 for 75 min, aggressively chasing them. It seemed as if he was removing them from the territory. Also saw 3 88 chasing each other in the air, flaying far beyond the territorial boundaries of any single one of them.