Birding Alaska

I was in Unalaska (the name of the island and the city where the port of Dutch Harbor is located) for a few days early this week and had some time to get out birding with local birder Suzie Golodoff for a few hours each day.  The birding is always good on the island, but this trip had a few very welcome surprises!

The first two Emperor Geese Chen canagica of the fall return to Unalaska on 21 September 2009.

Emperors winter in the Unalaska/Dutch Harbor waterfront by the hundreds.  We found these two birds on the Dutch Harbor spit; they are the first reported for the season.

Brambling Fringilla montifringilla in the spruce trees on Strawberry Hill, Unalaska, 21-22 September 2009.

Strawberry Hill was the hotspot this week.  This Brambling, one of a flock of six, was our first surprise find in the introduced stand of Sitka spruce on the hill.  These trees act as magnets for any lost forest loving passerines that find their way to the island and have hosted many past rarities.

Townsend’s Warbler Dendroica townsendi, on Strawberry Hill, Unalaska, 22 September 2009.

This Townsend’s Warbler was probably the best bird the trees had to offer.  It’s only the third report of the species from the Aleutians.  The first was an immature male on Shemya on 3 October 1977 (Gibson and Byrd 2007). The second was a find that Suzie made last year: 2 birds in Unalaska on 20 October 2008.

Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata, on Strawberry Hill, Unalaska, 22 September 2009.

Still reeling from the Townsend’s Warbler, we found this Yellow-rumped Warbler about 50 feet farther down the road in the same stand of trees only a few minutes later!   It is the first record of Yellow-rumped Warbler for Unalaska.

The one that got away: while we were trying to pin down the Townsend’s Warbler for photos after the brief initial look a Red-throated Pipit flew over the hill, giving it’s distinctive “speee” flight call.  Unfortunately we were unable to relocated the pipit, another first for Unalaska.

Merlin Falco columbarius, Strawberry Hill, Unalaska, 22 September 2009.

This Merlin was on the hill both days and on both days we saw it carrying prey.  I wonder what rare birds this Merlin has eaten lately.

Thanks Suzie for two great days of birding!

• Gibson, D. D., and Byrd, G. V. 2007. Birds of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. Nuttall Ornithological Club and the American Ornithologists’ Union. Series in Ornithology 1.