Birding Alaska

On March 6th I left Kodiak on the USCG icebreaker, Polar Sea.  We transited west to Unimak Pass and north to St. Lawrence Island as part of the Bering Sea BEST project, a partnership between the North Pacific Research Board and the National Science Foundation.  We rolled back into Kodiak on April 7th after 33 days at sea.  Here are a few photos from the trip…

Spectacled Eider Somateria fischeri, St. Lawrence Island Polynia, Bering Sea, 23 March 2010.

A flock of Spectacled Eiders from 1000 feet up.  The entire world’s population, about 370,000 birds, winters in the limited open water of the St. Lawrence Island polynia in the Bering Sea.

Black Guillemots Cepphus grylle were one of the most commonly encountered birds in the ice.  We saw them anywhere there were leads in the ice in ones and twos.  In the small flow and brash ice near the edge of the ice pack we saw flocks of up to 40 birds.  This group was near the ice edge southeast of the Pribilof Islands on 4 April 2010.

A molting Black Guillemot in flight, 3 April 2010.  The brilliant white underwing coverts are the best mark to separate it from a Pigeon Guillemot C. columba.

Kittlitz’s Murrelets Brachyramphus brevirostris winter in small numbers, most often in pairs, in the ice at least as far north as St. Lawrence Island.  In the St. Lawrence Island polynia they, along with Black Guillemots and Spectacled Eiders, were the only bird species regularly encountered. Photographed here on 12 March 2010.

A wandering Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolis checked out the ship north of the Pribilof Islands, 10 March 2o10.

Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus, Bering Sea, 4 April 2010.

Walrus Odobenus rosmarus were often curious of the ship when we were on station for several hours at a time.

Ribbon Seal Histriophoca fasciata.

Bearded Seal Erignathus barbatus.

Ringed Seal Pusa hispida, the smallest of the arctic seals.

Beluga Whales Delphinapterus leucas. Belugas are dark gray at birth and gradually transition to white as they age.  The rightmost Beluga is a young animal.

Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata.

Bowhead Whales Balaena mysticetus, near Southeast Cape, Saint Lawrence Island.

The USCG Cutter Polar Sea.

The south shore of St. Matthew Island.