Christina’s cover story for Audubon Magazine on white-tailed ptarmigan

I’m so excited to share that the story I photographed on white-tailed ptarmigan made the cover of Audubon magazine for the just released winter issue! This is my first wildlife cover of a major magazine, and a dream come true.

I’m deeply honored that I got to work again with the talented New Mexico writer Elizabeth Miller, and that editor Sabine Meyer entrusted me to photograph this story for @audubonsociety magazine. Also thanks for the many hardworking scientists spending the year counting and studying these birds who let me tag along in the field with them.

This story took many days in the field over nearly a year to photograph, hiking into high elevation mountains in New Mexico and Colorado. Some days were exhausting and frustrating when I could not find a single bird after snowshoeing for miles with heavy camera gear on my back. Other days – like the one represented on the cover – after a lot of research and phone calls and tracking the birds down — were extremely magical. To encounter these uncommon creatures in their snowy high alpine habitat and be able to watch how they navigate their steep terrain with their undeniably cute feather-covered snowshoe-like feet, was a gift. For the time they allowed me to spend up close to photograph their story and witness their lives, I am deeply grateful and I loved every challenging minute of it. I hope to continue to share this story and do it justice as it needs to be told.

The alpine zones of the world are experiencing some of the fastest changes on this globe due to climate change. Witnessing this story unfold in my home territory at the southern edge of the Rockies is my grief and honor as it shows us what’s to come for the range farther north. I hope the lessons we learn here can teach us how to tackle the biggest challenges and adapt for a new future.