Birding Alaska

Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica baueri, near Green Timbers, Homer Spit, Homer 24 October 2009.  In addition to the barred tail, note the grayish plumage, checkered back pattern, distinct supercillium, shorter neck and legs, more compact shape and smaller size than the Marbled Godwit also present in Homer.

One species of godwit in October is good–two is crazy!  At best a casual fall migrant through the region, this juvenile Bar-tailed Godwit was found in Homer yesterday by visiting birders, Brian and Julie.  There are a handful of August and September records for Homer, but none of the previous fall records have been later than 20 September.  This bird was feeding at the mouth of the small creek between Louie’s Lagoon and Green Timbers on the Homer Spit.  It will need to fatten up for the non-stop 6,000 mile overwater flight to its wintering grounds in Australia or New Zealand.

A bit further down the beach the Marbled Godwit, present since the 18th, was in Mud Bay with a nice flock of shorebirds that included 29 Long-billed Dowitchers, 7 Dunlin, 6 Rock Sandpipers and a Sanderling.  Pretty nice shorebirding for late October.

Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa beringea, Mariner Lagoon, Homer, 19 October 2009.

The beringea subspecies of Marbled Godwit breeds near Ugashik Bay, on the north side of the Alaska Peninsula.  It is an uncommon spring migrant in Homer and other south coastal Alaska locations.  In the fall, however, there are very few Alaskan records of the species after the birds leave their breeding grounds, suggesting that their southbound migration is a direct overseas flight from the Alaska Peninsula to their wintering grounds in the Pacific Northwest.  This Marbled Godwit, present in Homer at the base of the spit since the 18th and seen again today (21 October), is the first fall record for Homer and one of very few for the Kenai Peninsula.  It is probably the latest fall record for Alaska.

• Gibson, D. D., and Kessel, B. 1989. Geographic variation in the Marbled Godwit and description of an Alaskan subspecies. Condor 91:436-443.

I just returned from 12 days of birding in the village of Gambell on St. Lawrence Island with Wilderness Birding Adventures. Our fall tour was conducted from September 1st through the 7th, after which a few of us stayed on longer to see what else the island might produce.  As it turned out the bulk of the excitement occurred during our first three days on the island.  Without question the highlight of the trip was the discovery of both Pallas’s and Yellow-breasted Buntings on September 2nd.  There are about 5 previous North American records for each species, all from Alaska.  Late on September 5th the winds switched to north and remained there more or less for the rest of our stay making the birding a bit slow.  The first few days of rarities, however, more than made up for the slow ending to the trip.

Juvenile Pallas’s Bunting Emberiza pallasi, Far Boneyard, Gambell, 2 September 2009.  More photos here.

Yellow-breasted Bunting Emberiza aureola, Far Boneyard, Gambell, 2 September 2009.  More photos here.

Fresh out of the bath, the bird appears a bit bedraggled.  In over seven hours of attempting to get good looks of these two skulking buntings, this was the only time that I saw the Yellow-breasted Bunting on the ground and completely in the open.  With a bit of diligence and fortitude everyone in the group eventually got great views of both buntings.

Black-headed Gull Croicocephalus ridibundus, Troutman Lake, Gambell, 5 September 2009.

Its larger and more robust build, thicker bill, darker legs, less extensive hood, and under-wing pattern separate adult Black-headed Gulls from the somewhat similar Bonaparte’s Gull.

Female-type Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus, Far Boneyard, Gambell, 1 September 2009.

Common Rosefinches have a strongly curved culmen and an unmarked face, giving them a blank-faced and beady-eyed look.  Of the three other North American Carpodacus finches female Common Rosefinch is most similar to female House finch (which also have a curved culmen and plain face) but can be separated by voice, range and possibly by the slightly blurrier breast streaking of the House Finch.  However, there is very little information in print (none?) on separating House Finch and Common Rosefinch, and no region where they have ever overlapped in range.  While House Finch is extremely unlikely at Gambell, it has strayed to southeast and south coastal Alaska and is listed as casual on the state checklist.

This individual had especially warm plumage with the rump appearing warmer brown than the rest of the upperparts and the flight feathers showed warm, slightly greenish tones.  The only other Carpodacus recorded from St. Lawrence Island is Purple Finch for which there are three records. Click here for discussion on the identification of the other Carpodacus finches.

Female Brambling Fringilla montifringilla, Far Boneyard, Gambell, 3 September 2009.

This female Brambling spent a few sunny hours catching flying insects in the far boneyard. It was found in the afternoon and not seen in subsequent days.

Juvenile Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis, Gambell, 4 September 2009.

Getting a bit late for most shorebirds at this latitude, this Red-necked Stint tied the late date record for the island.

“Asian” Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica rustica, Gambell, 4 September 2009.

Two races of “Asian” Barn Swallow occur as vagrants to Alaska–rustica and gutturalis. This individual probably represents rustica because of the complete and thick blue breast band.  The North American subspecies eurythrogaster, which has an incomplete breast band and a reddish belly, regularly breeds no closer to St. Lawrence Island than Cordova in Prince William Sound, Alaska.  This bird arrived at Gambell on the 3rd and was seen at widely scattered locations around town.  It was not seen perched until the evening of the 4th when it cooperated for about 30 minutes before disappearing.

Juvenile Gray-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes, Troutman Lake, Gambell, 3 September 2009.

Both species of Tattler are rare but regular fall migrants at Gambell.  The heavy spotting on the upperparts, especially the tertials and great coverts, and the pure white flanks identify this bird as a juvenile Gray-tailed Tattler. The wing coverts of Gray-tailed Tattler also show faint brownish-gray tones.  Juvenile Wandering Tattlers show more blueish-gray tones.  The distinctive two-note “too-weet” call is diagnostic for the species.  For more photos of juvenile Gray-tailed Tattlers and a side-by-side comparison with juvenile Wandering Tattler click here.

Juvenile Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius, Corner Marsh, Gambell, 7 September 2009.

Red Phalaropes are regular migrants past Gambell in the fall and we encountered several hundred each day we were there.  This bird is beginning to acquire its winter garb in the form of grayish scapular and mantle feathers.

Left to right: Wilson’s Snipe Gallinago delicata, Red Knot Calidris canutus, Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus, Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca and Short-billed Dowitcher (just barely in the shot) at Beluga Slough, Homer, 14 August 2009.

Foul weather last night and today seemed to bring a few shorebirds into Beluga Slough and Mud Bay, Homer. The culvert where Beluga Lake enters Beluga Slough hosted a nice roosting flock of shorebirds.

Juvenile Red Knot Calidris canutus, Beluga Slough, Homer, 14 August 2009.

Red Knot is a rare fall migrant in Homer and this bird was one of two in Beluga Slough this morning. The crisp fringes and dark sub-terminal lines on the scapulars, tertials and coverts identify it as a juvenile. Here is a photo of a  breeding plumage Red Knot passing through Homer in May.

Here are a few highlights from recent Wilderness Birding Adventures trips to Adak and St. Paul Island in the Pribilofs.

Dusky Thrush Turdus naumanni eunomus, St. Paul, Pribilofs, 22 May 2009.

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa, Big Polovina Lake, St. Paul Island, Pribilofs, 23 May 2009.

Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola, Polovina Wetlands, St. Paul Island, Pribolofs, 22 May 2009.

Common Tern Sterna hirundo longipennis, Polovina Wetlands, St. Paul Island, Pribilofs, 22 May 2009.

The only race of Common Tern to be recorded in Alaska is longipennis, a vagrant from Siberia.  It differs from the North American race hirundo in its slightly darker gray upperparts, black bill and dark legs.  It is recorded nearly every year from the Pribilofs, especially during periods of strong west winds.

Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago, Contractor’s Marsh, Adak, 15 May 2009.

This very cooperative bird was winnowing side by side with the similar Wilson’s Snipe.  In flight the white stripe on the under wing was obvious, as was it’s distinctive winnow which is at least an octave lower than that of the Wilson’s Snipe.  It’s a regular spring migrant on Adak.

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos, Polovina Wetlands, St. Paul Island, Priblofs, 22 May 2009.

Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia, Salt Lagoon, St. Paul Island, Pribilofs 22 May 2009.

This Common Greenshank was one of at least 4 present on the island.

The diversity and numbers of shorebirds moving through Homer were impressive this weekend for the 17th Annual Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival, May 7-10.  Here are a few shots from the weekend.

Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola, Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus, Dunlin Calidris alpina and Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica, Green Timbers, Homer, 10 May 2009.

This photo captures one of the most incredible mixed flocks of shorebirds I’ve ever seen. In the flock but not photographed here were Red Knots, Western and Least Sandpipers, a Marbled Godwit and a Pacific Golden-Plover.  Black Turnstones were on the same beach just a bit further down.

Red Knot Calidris canutus, Green Timbers, Homer, 10 May 2009.

Red Knots are uncommon to rare migrants through Homer.  A single bird was reported on Saturday and at least 13 were on the Homer Spit today, 10 May.

Bar-tailed Godwit with Black-bellied Plover and Short-billed Dowitcher at Green Timbers, Homer, 10 May 2009.

This Bar-tailed Godwit was first found on the Homer Spit on Thursday and seen daily through the weekend.  Marbled and Hudsonian Godwits were also seen during the festival.

A lone Sanderling Calidris alba, Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri and Dunlin, Mud Bay, Homer, 8 May 2009.

This Sanderling (the larger pale bird in the center), still in winter plumage, was the only one reported for the weekend.

Black-bellied Plovers, Green Timbers, Homer, 10 May 2009.

There was no shortage of Black-bellied Plovers along the Homer Spit this weekend.

Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa, Black-bellied Plover, Dunlin, and Western Sandpipers at Green Timbers, Homer, 10 May 2009.

This Marbled Godwit is seperated from other godwits by it’s uniform cinamon brown coloration.  Here it dwarfs the much smaller Westerns and Dunlins but it’s also larger than both Hudsonian and Bar-tailed Godwit.

Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica with Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola at Mud Bay, Homer, 7 May 2009.

This male Bar-tailed Godwit made an appearance at the Homer Shorebird Festival yesterday and today.  Bar-tailed Godwits are trans-Beringian migrants that breed in Western Alaska, but it’s a very good bird for the Kenai Peninsula.