.... but finally we saw a break, and to everyone's joy (guides included) we found ourselves hiking up beyond the restaurant and along the snowy tracks.
We didn't go far, and didn't need to; being just below the summit on the northern side gave us some protection from a south-westerly wind, and we were very fortunate to have periods of brightness between cloud banks (and no rainstorms, which passed us by on both sides).
What about our targets? We'd tempered expectations, and would take anything we got. Ptarmigan would be great result; Dotterel even more so, with none yet reported and snow cover potentially displacing them. Mountain Hares, Ring Ouzel and Snow Bunting were all also possible, but we didn't want to be too greedy....
Long story short, we effectively cleaned up. Mountain Hares first, followed by Ptarmigan, and then the undisputed stars of the show - four Dotterel, which we watched for an extended period as the fed on a stony plateau, getting closer and closer to us as we lapped them up. I've seen plenty of Dotterel in plenty of places, but this is the first time i've seen them in their wild, evocative breeding habitat - breathtaking.
