

Ptarmigan hunting and why I love the fall in Nuuk!
Published: 12/06/2020
Reading time: 3 minutes
Nuuk is at its best during the fall in my opinion, fresh air below freezing, and lots of icebergs just outside the city and on its beaches because the winds have shifted, bringing them out of the large fjordsystem right to our doorstep.

It’s also a photographers dream because sunrise is at a reasonable hour and sunset isn’t far behind, giving an amazing day of pink hues. And as soon as the darkness comes the sky will randomly light up in bright shades of green, reminding us we line in GREEN-land… oh god, that was a terrible pun, sorry about that.


Anyway! another reason I absolutely love the fall/winter in Nuuk (October/November), is because we can go ptarmigan hunting! Ptarmigans are highly adapted to the Arctic and is one of the few bird species that stay in Greenland over the winter. It is the only bird that goes from grey and black summer camouflage to a complete white during winter!


A ptarmigan hunt is fairly simple, you either straight up go hiking with a rifle from the city, or you go a bit further out by boat before you start the hike and hunt. We usually go with the boat and explore new places.

Because ptarmigans are so damn well camouflaged they’re incredibly difficult to spot, BUT, they leave tracks, and if you can find fresh tracks they’re usually somewhere nearby, and eventually you’ll spot 1, and once you line up the shot you realize there are more! There are always more! Once having taken the shot often spooks the birds and 4-5 others, you hadn’t seen at all, suddenly fly a bit away, that always makes me feel like the guy in charge of the velociraptors in the first Jurassic Park movie.
The last time we went ptarmigan hunting we went by the foot of the second most iconic mountain by Nuuk – Hjortetakken, and my father immediately caught 7 birds that will contribute to our Christmas dinner.

A few interesting facts about ptarmigans:
Nr. 1
They know when to change from their summer plumage to winter by noticing the average amount of daylight hours, which is pretty smart. Imagine doing it by the first snow, and then it melts and leaves you in complete white surrounded by black and reddish fall colours. Huuuge disadvantage. The same the other way around, if you wait too long to change you’ll be a black bird in white surroundings. Not very promising either. But it turns out that measuring the average amount of hours with sunlight is a pretty decent indicator of when to change plumage, and you can actually trigger this biological reaction in a lab with fake sunlight! Interesting I tell ya.

Nr. 2
By looking at the picture above you can clearly see what makes the male and female birds different. The black line from the beak to its eyes indicate that it’s a male, and during the summer this part turns red, which in females it doesn’t, here’s another picture of a female: See the difference?

Fact Nr. 3:
Ptarmigans actually make their own snowshoes! They will grow tiny fleshy pectinations by their otherwise scaly feet which also grows soft feathers, which essentially increases their foot size to the double and probably keeps them warm too! The more you know!
Read more travel blogs from Lasse Kyed
-
5.00(5)Wild, wonderful & vast
Kapisillit Settlement Visit | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration6 hoursFrom 2295 DKKSee more -
4.00(1)
The Arctic Sauna Experience | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration1.5 hoursFrom 660 DKKSee more -
Limited space for this price!
Best Of Ilulissat | 5 days | Disko Bay
Tour startsFrom IcelandDuration5 daysFrom 21000 DKKSee more -
3 Day Glacier Adventure | Kangerlussuaq
Tour startsKangerlussuaqDuration3 daysFrom 7995 DKKSee more -
2026 dates!
East Greenland Adventure | 6 Days
Tour startsKulusukDuration6 daysFrom 17800 DKKSee more -
4.83(12)
Closed boat Fjord Adventure | Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration2 hoursFrom 1050 DKKSee more -
5-Days Above The Arctic Circle | Sisimiut | West Greenland
Tour startsSisimiutDuration5 daysFrom 9461 DKKSee more -
New Tour!
Disko Island Kayak Exploration | Qeqertarsuaq | Disko Bay
Tour startsQeqertarsuaqDuration3 hoursFrom 1350 DKKSee more -
5.00(2)Children friendly tour!
Family friendly Dogsledding Express tour | Ilulissat
Tour startsIlulissatDuration1.5 hoursFrom 1595 DKKSee more -
Hike To Garnet Rock | Kangerlussuaq | West Greenland
Tour startsKangerlussuaqDuration8 hoursFrom 1095 DKKSee more -
Authentic experience!
Ice fishing with local fisherman at UNESCO heritage site | Ilulissat
Tour startsIlulissatDuration8 hoursFrom 3700 DKKSee more -
Boat tour to Qarajaq Glacier | Uummannaq | North Greenland
Tour startsUummannaqDuration8 hoursFrom 4300 DKKSee more -
Qorlortorsuaq Hike | Qeqertarsuaq | Disko Bay
Tour startsQeqertarsuaqDuration2 hoursFrom 595 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)
Luxury Overnight in Iliminaq settlement | West Greenland
Tour startsIlulissatDuration2 daysFrom 4450 DKKSee more -
A 2-Day Arctic Luxury Escape at Eqi Glacier | West Greenland
Tour startsIlulissatDuration2 daysFrom 8900 DKKSee more -
New Tour!
Day Kayaking trough the Brede Bay | Ilulissat | Disko Bay
Tour startsIlulissatDuration6 hoursFrom 2695 DKKSee more -
Tailored for US flights
Arctic Blend: Wilderness Camping, Fjords Adventures & City Life | 6 Days in Nuuk
Tour startsNuukDuration6 daysFrom 14400 DKKSee more -
5.00(3)Driver included!
Snowmobile tour to UNESCO viewpoint | Ilulissat
Tour startsIlulissatDuration2 hoursFrom 1500 DKKSee more -
5.00(1)New Tour!
1-Day Boat Trip to Disko island & Kuannit Hike | Qeqertarsuaq
Tour startsIlulissatDuration9.5 hoursFrom 2950 DKKSee more