Alaska Adventure: June 1 to 16 2011
Photos by co-leader Don Freiday
To download a copy of the trip species list in pdf format, click here.
Wednesday, June 1 – Most participants took advantage of their first day in Fairbanks by strolling along the Chena River, which runs right through town, enjoying the many Yellow Warblers and White-crowned Sparrows along the river and the Cliff Swallows nesting under the bridges. Mew Gulls flew over or roosted on sandbars in the river, and many Common Redpolls, including some with recently fledged young, flew over or landed in riverside bushes. The excellent multi-agency Visitor Center in Fairbanks was another highlight for some, while others took the shuttle to the museum at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. The whole group got together at 7:30 p.m. for introductions and planning for the coming days.
Night in Fairbanks.
Thursday, June 2 – We began by exploring boreal forest, taiga, and ponds near Fairbanks. The Peat Pits offered views of spectacular breeding-plumage Horned Grebes, displaying Lesser Yellowlegs, and several cooperative Beavers. Ducks on the ponds there included Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, and American Wigeon. Views of Wilson’s Snipe and Rusty Blackbirds were other highlights.
We continued on to Creamer’s Field, where multiple Sandhill Cranes foraged and flew, and the views of Violet-green and Cliff Swallows could not have been better. We added a few waterfowl species, including Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, and Green-winged Teal.
After a stop for supplies and lunch, we checked the Airport Ponds for nesting Red-necked Grebes, and found several birds, including one on its floating nest. Long-billed Dowitcher, Semipalmated Plover and Solitary Sandpiper were added to our growing shorebird list. We headed southwest towards our eventual destination in Healy, but not before a Northern Goshawk shot across the road in front of the vans, seen by some but unfortunately not all of the tour participants. A stop in Nenana was a chance for some to take a chance, by buying tickets guessing the date and time of next year’s ice break-up there. The winner of this long-running contest looks forward to a grand prize of over $300,000 next year! A Merlin flew over us twice at Nenana.
After checking in to our motel at Healy, we made a short visit to Otto Lake, where the undisputed 
highlight was the pair of Horned Grebes, which courted, copulated, and nest-built while we were there. More Lesser Yellowlegs, both scaup, distant Pacific Loon, White-winged Scoter, and Common Goldeneye added diversity.
Unfortunately, only Mark, Don and Chuck got to see the cow Moose and her calf near our hotel, but everyone enjoyed the local color at Rosie’s Diner, and there were many more Moose to come!
Night in Healy.
Friday, June 3 – Most of us enjoyed Rosie’s Alaska-sized pancakes and other treats. An Orange-crowned Warbler sang and perched very cooperatively for the group along the motel driveway, then 8 of our group headed out to Stampede Trail. This site was made famous by the book, and later movie, Into the Wild. Indeed, the school bus the protagonist lived in is still out there, well beyond where vehicles, and we, could go.
The area indeed is wild, with sweeping landscapes and taiga birds like “Red” Fox Sparrows, American Tree Sparrow, and Gray-cheeked Thrush, all of which we saw well. A Wilson’s Warbler also perched up briefly, and Chuck made a nice pick on a high-flying adult Golden Eagle. The undisputed and incomparable highlight was reaching our turnaround point, looking south-southwest, and realizing Denali (Mount McKinley) was in wide open, splendid, snow-covered view! Many pictures were taken.
After lunch outside Denali National Park, our afternoon and evening were spent taking the Denali shuttle bus out the park road 66 miles to the Eielson Visitor Center and back. What an amazing tour! We enjoyed 9 different “Toklat” Grizzlies, including a sow with two 3-year old “cubs” who wrestled on a snow field in front of us. We saw 75+ Dall Sheep, including point blank views of groups of ewes and a bachelor group of rams, including some mature, full-curl animals. Arctic Ground Squirrels, 2 Caribou, and 1 cow Moose with 2 small calves plus 3 others finished out the mammals. The venue and the wind made for relatively few birds – but who could complain, when 11 of them were Golden Eagles. We also encountered our first Black-billed Magpies of the trip. A male Merlin perched cooperatively close to the bus, and we saw several Northern Harriers and more Common Ravens, including a nest with young on a bridge piling over a canyon. And perhaps best of all, we saw Denali AGAIN, including great end-of-day sunlit views. Denali is only visible 4 days per month on average in summer, and we enjoyed one of those days.
Night in Healy.
Saturday, June 4 -- Today a different subset of the group returned to the Stampede Trail. Denali was obscured by clouds again, but American Tree Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows and Wilson’s Warbler showed well. A male Northern Harrier was seen by part of the group. We saw more male than female harriers during the trip, likely because the females were on nests. A Wilson’s Snipe flushed from near the road and did a bit of winnowing as it flew off to a new location, and best of all, a Willow Ptarmigan cooperated, aptly under some willows, for the whole group to see well.
We spent a pleasant midday at the main Visitor Center for Denali National Park, viewing well-done exhibits on the park’s history and wildlife. Then we departed for Wasilla, stopping on the way in Denali State Park, where several Blackpoll Warblers sang and one male in particular returned repeatedly to the same perch high on an open snag. Swainson’s and Hermit Thrushes sang their ethereal songs here, and a family group of Gray Jays greeted us on arrival.
At our hotel on Lake Lucille near Wasilla in the evening, Red-necked Grebes entertained us by courting and nest-building at point blank range near, and even under, the hotel docks. Several Arctic Terns rested on the dock, and were joined by a few Bonaparte’s Gulls in breeding plumage. Great birds to finish the day!
Night in Wasilla.
Sunday, June 5 – We began the day as we ended it last night, enjoying the antics of courting and mating Red-necked Grebes. Mark made an actual count of 52 on Lake Lucille. On the lake with them were Barrow’s Goldeneyes, American Wigeon, and Common Loon, while a Spotted Sandpiper foraged along the shore and Arctic Terns and Bonaparte’s Gulls foraged over the lake.
We made a brief stop in Anchorage at Westchester Lagoon, where two Hudsonian Godwits, a male and a female, were highlights. Arctic Terns were nesting on the island there, and we saw some young chicks being fed. We figured the scaup ratio to be 50 Lesser to 10 Greater, and spent some time studying the differences between the two. A pair of Common Goldeneye were new, as were our first European Starlings (two) of the trip.
We then drove south along Turnagain Arm, known for its extreme tides –and extraordinary scenery. Northwestern Crows became more frequent as we continued south. Brief stops at Tern Lake and the Sunrise Inn in Cooper Landing added our first Mountain Goats of the trip, as well as a Belted Kingfisher.
In Ninilchik, a scenic and photo stop turned into some great birding, with very cooperative Golden-crowned Sparrows and “Sooty” Fox Sparrows, plus an unexpected adult Long-tailed Jaeger and about a zillion Bald Eagles. With the Alaska Range and its volcanoes in view across Cook Inlet, and a Moose foraging behind us, it really felt like Alaska.
We finally reached Homer, where Common Murres poured by our hotel at Land’s End, Black-legged Kittewakes were common, and (for some of us) the first Horned Puffins of the trip passed. We fell asleep blissfully in our waterfront rooms, after a final look across Kachemak Bay at the majestic Kenai Mountains.
Monday, June 6 – Prior to our much anticipated boat trip into Kachemak Bay, we mounted an expedition for one of our Homer target birds, indeed the only one we needed to find here, or not find on the whole trip. We were in much luck, as the old Aleutian Tern Colony was still active and several birds flew around us at close range. Just as memorable were the multiple winnowing Wilson’s Snipe and our first good looks at Lincoln’s Sparrows. We thus wound up with a quartet of streaky sparrows today – “Sooty” Fox Sparrow, “Kenai Peninsula” Song Sparrow (also quite sooty looking), Savannah Sparrow and Lincoln’s Sparrow.
The boat trip scored good looks at pretty much all the possible seabird species in Kachemak Bay, including 2 of the 6-8 Horned Puffins thought to be nesting here. Red-faced Cormorants nested on Gull Island near Pelagic Cormorants and thousands of Black-legged Kittewakes and Common Murres. We found multiples of Marbled Murrelets, always in pairs, along with a number of gaudy Tufted Puffins. Several Sea Otters, Harlequin Ducks, and a cooperative close Barrow’s Goldeneye were other highlights from the boat.
At lunch we took the time to wander among the shops of Homer craftspeople and fishing shanties along Homer Spit. The afternoon featured a check of Beluga Lake, where a pair of Trumpeter Swans were new to the trip, several Black-billed Magpies brought food to apparent nests nearby, and we marveled, again, at just how many Bald Eagles there are here. We enjoyed a visit to the Islands and Oceans Visitor Center and its compelling modern exhibits on the history of wildlife protection here. A number of Orange-crowned Warblers showed well at the center, and Homer’s interesting and apparently growing population of Ring-necked Pheasants was very evident in the form of a flyby hen and several crowing cocks. We set out to find a reported Yellow-billed Loon, and though we struck out on that bird, a pair of Whimbrel and a small flock of Black Brant were nice consolations. We bedded down for our final night in Homer as the flocks of Common Murres continued to stream by our windows at Land’s End, and Sea Otters loafed just offshore.
Night in Homer.
Tuesday, June 7 – Pre-breakfast, Mark and an intrepid few went back out to search the Homer Spit area for the reported Yellow-billed Loon. Although they were not successful, 2 Pacific Loons and a number of Common Loons were among the consolations.
We made our way over to Seward, stopping for a bit of seawatching at Anchor Point, where shearwaters (Sooty or Short-tailed, too far to tell) passed far offshore, and closer, both White-winged and Surf Scoters were seen. Two Red-breasted Mergansers flew past, Golden-crowned Sparrow sang nearby, and we marveled at the many Bald Eagles.
A stop at Tern Lake netted a Trumpeter Swan, Spotted Sandpiper, and Mountain Goats, and we were greeted on our arrival in Seward by several Varied Thrushes fluting on the hotel grounds.
Wednesday, June 8 – Today was our all-day boat trip exploring the bays, peninsulas, islands and glaciers of Kenai Fjords National Park. Lucky for us, the weather had calmed some from the previous day, and although there was a pretty good swell, we were able to get out of Resurrection Bay and into the heart of Kenai Fjords. The day began with multiple Marbled Murrelets right outside the harbor in Resurrection Bay, and got better and better. The common species of alcids, Common Murre and Pigeon Guillemot, were almost always in view, and we were astonished by the numbers of puffins, especially as we neared the Chiswell Island group, where 100’s of both Tufted and Horned Puffins sat on the water, flew past, or sat outside their nesting burrows high above the cliff faces on grassy slopes. Near Ailik glacier we encountered several golden-spangled Kittlitz’s Murrelets, not to mention a whole lot of ice calved off the glacier!
Many cliffs were festooned with the nests of Black-legged Kittewakes, and we also found many nesting Common Murres, plus Red-faced and Pelagic Cormorants and a few Thick-billed Murres. A pair of Black Oystercatchers flew past, and a small group of shearwaters, probably Sooties, sailed past as well.
And then there were the mammals – numerous Sea Otters and an engaging group of Dall’s Porpoises entertained us early in the trip, and we soon encountered hauled out Stellar’s Sea Lions. The big highlights came towards the end of the trip, when we got close to a local pod of Orcas, and the grand finale was a multi-breaching Humpback Whale. All this occurred among the spectacular scenery of mountains, glaciers, and fjords.
Night in Seward.
Thursday, June 9 – We began with an optional pre-breakfast exploration of the lodge grounds, which produced good looks at Golden-crowned Kinglets, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Spotted Sandpiper, and an annoying lack of good looks at several singing Varied Thrushes and at least 2 singing Townsend’s Warblers. We enjoyed the songs, though, and happily rectified the Varied Thrush situation later in the morning.
A quick run into Seward to attend to laundry produced Stellar’s Jays, Pine Siskins, and Pine Grosbeaks across from the laundromat, then we headed up Bear Lake Road to the fascinating fish weir and a heavy run of Sockeye, or “Red,” Salmon. A pair of American Dippers fed young on the weir, a great added bonus!
The staff at the weir maintained well-stocked feeders, which were loaded with Pine Siskins but also hosted a pair of Pine Grosbeaks and Red-breasted Nuthatch. A walk around the immediate area yielded Brown Creepers, more Stellar’s Jays, and a cooperative Boreal Chickadee. The Varied Thrushes and Townsend’s Warblers continued to sing out of sight, however.
At the outfall of Bear Lake we were finally treated to a teed up Varied Thrush high atop a Sitka Spruce, for scope views. A handsome drake Barrow’s Goldeneye consorted with his lady and apparent offspring at close range, while yet more American Dippers and Stellar’s Jays showed themselves nearby. A flock of White-winged Crossbills came in to the spruce cones, and a few settled near the water for a drink. The trio of Chestnut-backed Chickadees was a final highlight at this magical spot.
After lunch we worked our way along the shore of Resurrection Bay, and encountered a nice flock of 22 Harlequin Ducks and, even better, a pair of Wandering Tattlers. Several Sea Otters fed along the shore, one of the big, sooty “Kenai Peninsula” Song Sparrows serenaded us, and yet another American Dipper entertained us by capturing a small fish in the saltwater right in front of us. Perhaps the highlight of the afternoon, unexpectedly, was watching a pair of Common Ravens feed 2 recently fledged young and attempt to coax the reluctant third member of the brood from their cliff nest.
We finished the day exploring the Alaska Sealife Center, then turned in for our last night in Seward.
Night in Seward.
Friday, June 10 – We began our day with an optional 6 a.m. excursion to view the Exit Glacier. It was fascinating to see the year markers showing how far the glacier extended over 100 years ago, how much it has receded since, and the early successional forest of cottonwoods and birches that is growing where glacier used to be. The point blank Varied Thrush along the roadside wasn’t bad, either!
We headed north out of Seward, passing Turnagain Arm again. Turnagain was named by Captain James Cook, who, on his search for the northwest passage, had to “turn again” when he discovered the arm was a dead end. A lovely stand of Dwarf Dogwood, or Bunchberry, was blooming at our rest stop at Bird Point.
At Potter Marsh we accidentally stopped nearly on top of an Arctic Tern nest, and consequently were strafed repeatedly by the concerned parents. We quickly moved away and enjoyed point-blank views of the terns, not to mention the many Mew Gulls.
Travelling onward, we were soon on the Glenn Highway, pausing at several overlooks of the Chugach mountains, including a look down into the valley of the Matanuska Glacier. A short distance farther and we arrived at Sheep Mountain Lodge, our home for the next two days. After relaxing in our comfortable, well-furnished cabins and a delicious dinner, we embarked on a Northern Hawk-owl expedition. We were unsuccessful, but that didn’t last long. . .
Night at Denali Highway Cabins.
Saturday, June 11 – Our exploration of the Alcomm “Road” (dirt track) off Glenn Highway began auspiciously, when we spotted a duo of fledgling Great-horned Owls perched shoulder-to-shoulder in the valley below. Wilson’s, Blackpoll, Orange-crowned, and Yellow-rumped Warblers sang all around us, a fledgling Gray Jay entertained, and eventually Lincoln’s and Savannah Sparrows made appearances. We engaged multiple Bohemian Waxwings, perched for scope views and flying over. We also had fabulous views of a hunting Short-eared Owl, and our “daily” though distant Moose.
Down in the valley, a nice set of tundra ponds hosted Pacific Loons, Trumpeter Swan, both yellowlegs, and a mix of ducks. Mark remarkably detected a real rarity, an amphibian – Wood Frog, to be exact, the northernmost amphibian found in North America. Bald and Golden eagles soared up in the Chugatch Mountains to our south.
The big splash of excitement came as we headed back to the lodge for lunch, in the form of a Northern Hawk-owl perched atop a spruce. We all had great, fairly close-range views of the bird as it twitched its tail and scanned for prey, and then as it flapped and sailed off down into the valley. Score owl species #3 for the morning, and a key target bird for us!
We returned to the hawk-owl site after lunch and enjoyed even better, lasting views of this special bird – or one like it, since photos revealed that the evening bird was different than the one seen in the morning, which had been missing a couple wing feathers. Then we finished the day with a good old fashioned nature walk near Matanuska Glacier, examining wildflowers like Labrador Tea, Bearberry, and Twinflower, and trees like Quaking Aspen.
Night at Sheep Mountain Lodge.
Sunday, June 12 – We bade a longing farewell to our lodging at Sheep Mountain Lodge, and to our gracious hosts Zack and Annejeanette. Annejeanette intends to race in the Iditarod next year, and we’ll be watching for her!
A quick stop at a pond on the way to Glenallen netted a Tundra Swan, unusual for the date and location. We also garnered other taiga pond birds, like Surf and White-winged Scoters, American Wigeon, and Lesser Scaup.
Our eyes might have been sharpened with the hawk-owl search image yesterday, but whatever the reason we saw at least THREE MORE during our drive to Glenallen. Our staked-out Great Gray Owls had abandoned their nest, but in an incredible stroke of luck, a stop for staked-out Pacific Loons turned in chaos when a Great Gray lifted from the side of the road in front of the vans, and carried some small mammal in its bill across the road right in front of us, with everyone getting great though brief looks! The pond there did hold two Pacific Loons, and an Olive-sided Flycatcher sang in the background.
By evening we were ensconced in our new home at Denali Highway Cabins, where Mark and Don set about whipping up a delicious meal of grilled fresh Copper River Sockeye Salmon, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli, and Mark’s famous homemade bread and shortbread cookies.
Night at Denali Highway Cabins.
Monday, June 13 – Our early morning expedition was very successful, garnering 5 thrushes heard or seen, including scope views of both Swainson’s and Varied Thrush. A brief look at an American Three-toed Woodpecker left us longing for more, and the trail was laced with tracks of moose. We kept a sharp eye skyward for the nearby nesting Merlins, which were seen by some last night.
After breakfast we headed west on the spectacular Denali Highway. A brief stop at an overlook brought us close looks at Arctic Ground Squirrel, and scoped views of a singing Gray-cheeked Thrush, one of many we encountered today. We enjoyed the vastness of the landscape, realizing for example that a speck in the lake below, initially thought to be a bird, turned out to be two men in a boat!
We went to our “classified location” on the tundra to search for longspurs and other birds, and met with great success. Colette found a Whimbrel nest with 4 eggs, and we all enjoyed watching these long-distance migrants on the breeding grounds. Several Long-tailed Jaegers paused to hover overhead, searching for prey.
The pearls of great price were the longspurs. The display flights of the Lapland Longspurs were magnificent, and after some hard searching most of us managed good views of flying Smith’s Longspurs. As far as we have heard, this species has been tough for other tour groups this year and we were delighted with our success. A young Caribou spotted us but couldn’t identify us, so it circled downwind for a close view before scenting us and sprinting away in alarm – Carla got a great photo of its departure. Nesting Horned Larks were another tundra bonus, as were many interesting wildflowers.
After lunch – many of us shared leftover sockeye salmon – we headed north on the Richardson Highway to Summit Lake, where we saw and heard several breeding plumage Red-throated Loons, as well as a small flock of breeding plumage Long-tailed Ducks resting on the edge of the ice. The day was capped with distant but identifiable views of a gray morph Gyrfalcon perched high on a promontory above its cliff eyrie.
Night at Denali Highway Cabins.
Tuesday, June 14 – Our early morning optional expedition returned to the alpine tundra of Denali Highway, determined for better views of Smith’s Longspur – and we got them, close scope views for all! Two American Golden-plovers that were not there yesterday provided great views, and the Whimbrel and Long-tailed Jaegers were again seen. A number of American Tree Sparrows were seen, and a couple more Lapland Longspurs. On the way back for breakfast, we spotted our “daily” Moose – swimming across a lake and then shaking like a dog when it reached shore.
After breakfast, we set out to explore the Denali Highway – or the first 42 miles of it, all the way out to the spectacular Maclaren River summit and valley. Mark made a nice pick on a perched Golden Eagle – perched on a ridge in this landscape without large trees – and we encountered numerous ducks in the alpine tundra ponds, among them both scaup, wigeon, Ring-necked, and Green-winged Teal. A nifty flock of close Harlequin Ducks at Tangle River was especially nice.
Once far enough west on the Denali Highway, we got into Arctic Warbler country, eventually securing very close, great looks at the species which breeds in Alaska but winters in Asia. This was a specialty for the trip.
At our lunch stop on the Maclaren River, we connected on Say’s Phoebe, enjoyed some good food despite the remoteness, and enjoyed views of Cliff Swallows, Bank Swallows, sled dogs, and some especially friendly pet pups, too.
A real highlight at Maclaren summit were the Rock Ptarmigan, which, with some judicious use of a recording, flew in for remarkable views in a remarkable setting. From there we continued our trip back “home” to Denali Highway Cabins in occasional spitting rain, capitalizing on the lulls for our first Pika of the trip, good looks at Long-tailed Ducks, and a long scoping of the valley below “our” longspur spot, where we found 3 Caribou and several Moose. Long-tailed Jaegers hunting close by were difficult to turn away from. Don got a few more “Alaskan cultural moment” photos of bullet-riddled signs, and before we knew it we were back at our lodge for the checklist, the penultimate of the main trip.
Night at Denali Highway Cabins.
Wednesday, June 15 – Our optional early morning expedition today explored a gravel road leading to a hilltop. We encountered many Snowshoe Hares, Alder Flycatcher, the now-familiar suite of boreal birds like Wilson’s Warbler and Gray-cheeked Thrush, and much fog. A highlight was encountering a young woman training her dogsled team, by being towed along on her 4-wheeler.
We then proceeded north towards Fairbanks, stopping here and there for great views, for example at Rainbow Ridge. We paused at an Alyeska Pipeline interpretive area to ponder the pipeline, its construction and significance, and, for a few, to glimpse the last Varied Thrush of our trip. A quick view at a soaring Harlan’s Hawk was another highlight. Our lunch stop was at Rika’s, a restored Alaska Roadhouse, then we travelled on to Fairbanks for a fond farewell to those participants who were not continuing on to Barrow.
The rest of us boarded our flight, and before we knew it were in the middle of vast Arctic tundra on the edge of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.
Night in Barrow.
Thursday, June 16, 2011 – We really weren’t in Kansas anymore – this was clear once we finished a hearty breakfast at Pepe’s North of the Border and headed down Freshwater Lake Road, the shore-fast ice piled high along the Arctic Ocean and Pectoral Sandpipers displaying everywhere. A nearly pure white male Snowy Owl sat on the tundra and then flew over to the sea edge. Red-necked and Red Phalaropes were added, with Semipalmated Sandpipers and American Golden-plovers.
After meeting up with Mark and the rest of our group at the airport, we headed back out to Freshwater Lake Road and covered it to the end, finding 3 species of eiders: King, Spectacled and Steller’s, important target birds all. We saw and heard Red-throated Loons, and watched a band of dedicated photographers waist deep in a tundra pond photographing them. We especially thrilled to all the displaying shorebirds, like the hovering Dunlin which left us breathless. Plentiful displaying Lapland Longspurs provided background music.
We returned to Barrow for lunch, again at Pepe’s (so we could get our Arctic Circle Certificates), then explored part of Cakeeater Road, finding another Stellar’s Eider pair, Wilson’s Snipe, and more great looks at shorebirds. We made sure to walk down to the Arctic Ocean to get a close view of the shore ice and touch the chilly meltwater.
After dinner, we drove all the way north to the base of the Barrow Spit. We saw no Polar Bears, but an incredibly cooperative Snow Bunting was a fine consolation prize. We ended the day at 10 p.m., the sun still shining brightly – the sun never sets for 82 summer days in Barrow.
Night in Barrow.
Friday, June 17 – This morning we birded our way out Gaswell Road, stopping at its start (really known as Cakeeater Road) to scrutinize Baird’s Sandpipers there. Besides the now familiar displaying shorebirds and numerous jaegers, the clear highlights of the morning were the Snowy Owls, including a nest. We “accidentally on purpose” ran into Denver Holt, the noted owl biologist, and enjoyed an overview of Snowy Owl ecology as we watched the nesting pair nearby.
After dining at Arctic Pizza, we explored Freshwater Lake Road again, finding our first Mallards of the trip, and enjoying more views of Spectacled Eiders and jaegers. Included among the jaegers were 3 Long-taileds, our first for Barrow, and we had a glimpse of flyby White-rumped Sandpiper. We continued to the coves near Cakeeater Road, where we found Black Brant, Ruddy Turnstone, and more stellar views of Spectacled and King Eiders. A few of us went for a Polar Bear vigil at the base of Point Barrow – no bears, but there was quite an aggregation of Glaucous Gulls squabbling over the remains of a recently butchered Bowhead Whale, and we had a great view of a seal as well.
Night in Barrow.
Saturday, June 18 – Alas, our final day in Barrow arrived. We began with a return to the base of Point Barrow, to re-check the gull flock and scope for Polar Bears. Of bears we found none, but a pair of hunting Peregrine Falcons compensated, with one snatching a Semipalmated Sandpiper right before our eyes and the other disappearing into the distance in hot pursuit of a Black Guillemot! The Glaucous Gulls sat torpid on the ice, sated from feasting on whale blubber, and we spotted two seals far out on the ice.
At midday we visited the excellent Inupiat cultural center in Barrow, not to mention the “Big Store.” Afterwards, we returned to Gaswell Road, where we had lengthy views of a “mixed pair” of Parasitic Jaegers, a light and intermediate morph, as well as several Pomarine Jaegers, and our last views of the many displaying Pectoral Sandpipers and other shorebirds like Red Phalaropes. We paid our respects to the nesting Snowy Owl, and, on meeting up with Denver Holt again, learned the nest had two chicks so far with more eggs still to hatch.
Dinner at Brower’s Café featured Snow Buntings nesting in a box on a nearby building, and one of our last birds of the day was a Hoary Redpoll on the wires near our hotel.
We then boarded our plane and flew back to Fairbanks, observing from above the Arctic Ocean, polygon tundra, and many tundra ponds and lakes above the Arctic Circle. As we approached Fairbanks, we crossed the Yukon River, and had the chance to see from the air the mountains, rivers, boreal forest and taiga we enjoyed earlier in the trip.
~~~ Mark Garland and Don Freiday