For the bird nerds...

Exactly the Varied Thrush

Cool looking bird that visits in the Spring and Fall and disappears to where ever the rest of the year.

If you don't mind a few extraneous pictures (Facebook is getting quite oboxious, I used to be able to link to  one pic), you can see that ptarmigans are quite common in the alpine (above timberline) on Mt. Rainier.  At lower elevation there are also ruffed grouse (low elevations) and blue grouse (around Paradise).
Fall vegetation and ptarmigans in the alpine above paradise

Exactly the Varied Thrush

Cool looking bird that visits in the Spring and Fall and disappears to where ever the rest of the year.

Doesn't disappear; migrates altitudinally instead of N-S.

You still can, but they're not making it any easier.

I visually ID'd a male Varied Thursh in the back yard this morning. 

If you don't mind a few extraneous pictures (Facebook is getting quite oboxious, I used to be able to link to  one pic), you can see that ptarmigans are quite common in the alpine (above timberline) on Mt. Rainier.  At lower elevation there are also ruffed grouse (low elevations) and blue grouse (around Paradise).

WTP definitely populate the alpine zones in MRNP.  Note that Blue Grouse has now been divided into two species, to wit: the Sooty Grouse and the Dusky Grouse.  MRNP is rife with Sootys, while a Dusky sighting in MRNP would be a rarity.  Sootys reside on both sides of the Cascade Crest.  Duskys inhabit the interior, although there is some overlap of the two species E of the Cascade crest, though N of MRNP.  Ruffed are more common in deciduous and mixed forests, and more common E of the crest.  Although there are populations of Ruffed in MRNP (mostly E side of the park, but maybe some W), a grouse ID'd in the hemlock/fir/Doug fir/pine conifer forests of MRNP would likely be a Sooty.  Also, the E side of MRNP has some Spruce Grouse.

I visually ID'd a male Varied Thursh in the back yard this morning.   WTP definitely populate the alpine zones in MRNP.  Note that Blue Grouse has now been divided into two species, to wit: the Sooty Grouse and the Dusky Grouse.  MRNP is rife with Sootys, while a Dusky sighting in MRNP would be a rarity.  Sootys reside on both sides of the Cascade Crest.  Duskys inhabit the interior, although there is some overlap of the two species E of the Cascade crest, though N of MRNP.  Ruffed are more common in deciduous and mixed forests, and more common E of the crest.  Although there are populations of Ruffed in MRNP (mostly E side of the park, but maybe some W), a grouse ID'd in the hemlock/fir/Doug fir/pine conifer forests of MRNP would likely be a Sooty.  Also, the E side of MRNP has some Spruce Grouse.

Right you are, Steve.  The AOU Checklist has the division; but I don't feel too bad since the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (Birds of North America, online) hasn't caught up yet either (and I retired from ornithological research 6 years ago :-0).