ALASKA in June

 

‘This year marked the 21st year in a row that I have led a tour to the spectacular state of Alaska. The trip began with an extension to the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea, where we marvelled at the spectacle of nesting alcids, both Red-legged Kittiwakes and Red-faced Cormorants, and a scattering of rarities, such as Eye-browed Thrush, Black-headed Gull, and Tufted Duck. The main tour visited Nome, Denali National Park, and Seward on the Kenai Peninsula, where we did a boat trip to the Chiswell Islands and Aialik Glacier. The highlights at Nome were many and included excellent views of Bristle-thighed Curlew, Bluethroat, Arctic Warbler, and lots of nesting shorebirds and jaegers. We had great luck with Mount McKinley, as well especially with mammals such as Grizzly Bear, Caribou, Moose, and Dall Sheep. At Seward, our boat trip was a wet one, but we managed to see virtually all the speciality birds, including excellent views of Kittlitz’s Murrelet, and a surprise bird, a close Leach’s Storm-Petrel. Aialik Glacier wasn’t too shabby either! Great food, great scenery, and fun birding are what an Alaska tour is all about!’  Gary Rosenberg

 

Bird List:

 

Column A  = Number of years out of 8 species seen

Column B  = Number of days seen during the 2007 tour

Column C  = Highest daily number seen during the 2007 tour

Column D  = P = Pribilofs only, (I)= Introduced

*no Prib’s extension for one of the years

 

A

 

B

C

D

 

3

Greater White-fronted Goose

 

 

 

Anser albifrons

2

Emperor Goose

1

4

 

Chen canagica

2

Snow Goose

 

 

 

Chen caerulescens

8

Brant

2

200

 

Branta bernicla nigricans

8

Canada Goose

5

50

 

Branta canadensis

5

Cackling Goose

3

4

 

Branta hutchinsii taverni

3

Cackling Goose

1

3

P

Branta hutchinsii leucopareia

1

Cackling Goose

1

3

P

Branta hutchinsii minima

8

Trumpeter Swan

1

4

 

Cygnus buccinator

8

Tundra Swan

4

250

 

Cygnus columbianus

1

Tundra (Bewick's) Swan

 

 

P

Cygnus columbianus

5

Gadwall

1

1

 

Anas strepera

6

Eurasian Wigeon

2

1

 

Anas penelope

8

American Wigeon

9

30

 

Anas americana

8

Mallard

6

50

 

Anas platyrhynchos

1

Blue-winged Teal

 

 

 

Anas discors

8

Northern Shoveler

7

25

 

Anas clypeata

8

Northern Pintail

12

100

 

Anas acuta

8

Green-winged Teal

5

20

 

Anas crecca carolinensis

7

Eurasian Green-winged Teal

3

25

P

Anas crecca crecca

8

Canvasback

3

1

 

Aythya valisineria

3

Redhead

1

1

 

Aythya americana

7

Ring-necked Duck

2

2

 

Aythya collaris

3

Tufted Duck

1

1

P

Aythya fuligula

8

Greater Scaup

9

50

 

Aythya marila

8

Lesser Scaup

2

10

 

Aythya affinis

3

Steller's Eider

1

2

P

Polysticta stelleri

1

Spectacled Eider

 

 

 

Somateria fischeri

7

King Eider

2

5

P

Somateria spectabilis

8

Common Eider

3

50

 

Somateria mollissima

8

Harlequin Duck

8

500

 

Histrionicus histrionicus

7

Surf Scoter

2

12

 

Melanitta perspicillata

8

White-winged Scoter

2

15

 

Melanitta fusca

8

Black Scoter

1

3

 

Melanitta nigra

8

Long-tailed Duck

5

30

 

Clangula hyemalis

8

Bufflehead

1

4

 

Bucephala albeola

2

Common Goldeneye

 

 

 

Bucephala clangula

8

Barrow's Goldeneye

1

2

 

Bucephala islandica

1

Smew

 

 

P

Mergellus albellus

7

Common Merganser

1

1

 

Mergus merganser

8

Red-breasted Merganser

5

20

 

Mergus serrator

4

Spruce Grouse

 

 

 

Falcipennis canadensis

8

Willow Ptarmigan

2

3

 

Lagopus lagopus

7

Rock Ptarmigan

 

 

 

Lagopus muta

8

Red-throated Loon

4

20

 

Gavia stellata

5

Arctic Loon

 

 

 

Gavia arctica

8

Pacific Loon

5

10

 

Gavia pacifica

8

Common Loon

2

1

 

Gavia immer

3

Yellow-billed Loon

 

 

 

Gavia adamsii

5

Horned grebe

1

2

 

Podiceps auritus

8

Red-necked Grebe

4

30

 

Podiceps grisegena

7

Northern Fulmar

3

70

 

Fulmarus glacialis

2

Sooty Shearwater

1

200

 

Puffinus griseus

4

Short-tailed Shearwater

1

2

P

Puffinus tenuirostris

1

Leach's Storm-Petrel

1

1

 

Oceanodroma leucorhoa

8

Double-crested Cormorant

4

20

 

Phalacrocorax auritus

8

Red-faced Cormorant

4

120

 

Phalacrocorax urile

8

Pelagic Cormorant

6

50

 

Phalacrocorax pelagicus

2

Osprey

 

 

 

Pandion haliaetus

8

Bald Eagle

7

25

 

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

7

Northern Harrier

2

2

 

Circus cyaneus

2

Sharp-shinned Hawk

 

 

 

Accipiter striatus

2

Northern Goshawk

 

 

 

Accipiter gentilis

7

Red-tailed Hawk

1

1

 

Buteo jamaicensis harlani

7

Rough-legged Hawk

 

 

 

Buteo lagopus

8

Golden Eagle

2

3

 

Aquila chrysaetos

2

American Kestrel

 

 

 

Falco sparverius

8

Merlin

1

1

 

Falco columbarius

8

Gyrfalcon

3

4

 

Falco rusticolus

4

Peregrine Falcon

1

1

 

Falco peregrinus

8

Sandhill Crane

2

5

 

Grus canadensis

7

Black-bellied Plover

1

2

 

Pluvialis squatarola

8

American Golden-Plover

2

2

 

Pluvialis dominica

8

Pacific Golden-Plover

3

5

 

Pluvialis fulva

2

Lesser Sand-Plover

 

 

 

Charadrius mongolus

8

Semipalmated Plover

6

8

 

Charadrius semipalmatus

1

Killdeer

 

 

 

Charadrius vociferus

8

Black Oystercatcher

1

6

 

Haematopus bachmani

6

Greater Yellowlegs

2

5

 

Tringa melanoleuca

8

Lesser Yellowlegs

2

4

 

Tringa flavipes

3

Wood Sandpiper

 

 

P

Tringa glareola

2

Solitary Sandpiper

1

2

 

Tringa solitaria

7

Wandering Tattler

3

1

 

Heteroscelus incanus

1

Gray-tailed Tattler

 

 

 

Tringa brevipes

1

Common Sandpiper

 

 

 

Actitis hypoleucos

8

Spotted Sandpiper

2

2

 

Actitis macularius

3

Upland Sandpiper

 

 

 

Bartramia longicauda

8

Whimbrel

2

3

 

Numenius phaeopus

7

Bristle-thighed Curlew

1

1

 

Numenius tahitiensis

8

Hudsonian Godwit

2

25

 

Limosa haemastica

8

Bar-tailed Godwit

1

8

 

Limosa lapponica

8

Ruddy Turnstone

3

1

 

Arenaria interpres

6

Black Turnstone

 

 

 

Arenaria melanocephala

1

Surfbird

 

 

 

Aphriza virgata

3

Red Knot

1

6

 

Calidris canutus

8

Semipalmated Sandpiper

3

20

 

Calidris pusilla

8

Western Sandpiper

3

50