Birding Alaska

Red-legged (in focus) and Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa brevirostris and tridactyla, Bering Sea, 3 October 2010.

Three Red-legged and one Black-legged Kittiwake (second from the bottom), Bering Sea, 3 October 2010.

Mixed flock of Kittiwakes, Bering Sea, 3 October 2010.

Red-legged Kittiwake, Bering Sea about 60 miles northeast of St. Paul Island, 3 October 2010.

On 3 October the ship spent the entire day about 60 miles northeast of St. Paul Island in the eastern Bering Sea. A large mixed flock of kittiwakes was around the ship all day long, allowing for a few decent comparison pictures. The Red-legged Kittiwake is smaller with a shorter bill, more rounded head, and shorter wings than the Black-legged Kittiwake. It’s upper wing is a darker gray than that of the Black-legged, with no contrast between the inner and outer wing. The under wing is gray on a Red-legged and whitish on a Black-legged. In addition, I think the Red-legged Kittiwake looks a bit “cuter” than the Black-legged.

Click here or more information on identifying Red-legged Kittiwakes.

Late in the evening a Yellow-rumped Warbler briefly landed on the ship. The first passerine on board since getting underway on 22 September.

Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris flava, Eastern Bering Sea, 31 August 2010. Click on photos to enlarge.

Another hitchhiker this morning. The yellow throat and supercillia identify this Horned Lark as the flava subspecies, breeding in eastern Russia. It winters in southern Russia, northeast China and Japan and is a casual fall migrant to the islands of the Bering Sea.

Before landing on the ship this morning the Horned Lark was doing laps around the ship with a smaller mystery passerine. Unfortunately, that one got away.

Other migrants flying by the ship today were 11 Pacific Golden-Plovers, 1 Ruddy Turnstone and 1 Tattler sp.

• Brazil, M. 2009. Birds of East Asia: China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Russia. Princeton University Press.
• 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.
• Gibson, D. D., and Kessel, B. 1997. Inventory of the species and subspecies of Alaska birds. Western Birds 28:45-95.
• Lehman, P. E. 2005. Fall migration at Gambell, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. Western Birds 36:2-55.

I’m currently on board the NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson in the Bering Sea. The last few days in the eastern Bering Sea have produced some interesting birds. In addition to the usual variety of tubenoses, alcids and larids a number of southbound migrants have passed the ship this week. Some are birds that have adapted to long, non-stop ocean crossings, others are not…

Bristle-thighed Curlew Numenius tahitiensis, Eastern Bering Sea, 30 August 2010.

Highlighting the list of fly-by appearances was this lone Bristle-thighed Curlew. It flew in to the stern of the ship, checked us out, gave a few whistles and flew off. Although the pictures are marginal you can still make out the warm tones to the underparts and the diagnostic mark–the peach-colored rump which appears contrastingly pale in the last photo.

Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres, Eastern Bering Sea, 30 August 2010.

Ruddy Turnstones have been regular this week with at least one small flock approaching the ship every day. Today (8/30) we recorded over 20 individuals in several small flocks. Other shorebirds seen from the ship today were Pacific Golden-Plovers (4), Bristle-thighed Curlew (1), and Red Phalarope (100′s). Three Wandering Tattlers have flown by the trip since the we left Dutch Harbor on 17 August. Mind-boggling to think that the tattlers, turnstones, plovers and curlew may be in Hawaii or further before this ship get’s back to Dutch Harbor!

A Piscivorous Golden-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla, on board the Oscar Dyson in the Eastern Bering Sea 30 August 2010.

This Golden-crowned Sparrow landed on the ship on yesterday and was still here today. He’s been eating, or attempting to eat, juvenile Pacific sand lance Amodites hexapterus which the NOAA scientists have been catching on their surveys. A new food item for the species?

Orange-crowned Warbler Oreothlypis celata, Eastern Bering Sea, 25 August 2010.

This Orange-crowned Warbler only spent a few hours on board. (Note the change to the genus. Click here for info on other changes and updates to the AOU checklist.)

Yellow-rumped Warblers Dendroica coronata, Strawberry Hill, Dutch Harbor, 17 August 2010.

I had about an hour today to head back to Strawberry Hill, Dutch Harbor, before I had to return to the NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson in time to leave on a cruise in the southern Bering Sea. Yesterday’s Fox Sparrows were still present and were trumped today by two Yellow-rumped Warblers! The first warbler was with the Fox Sparrows on the top of the hill. The second was in the tall spruce trees that border the small lake just south of the hill.

Gibson and Byrd (2007) list Yellow-rumped Warbler as “casual in fall in eastern, central and western Aleutians.” The first records for Unalaska/Dutch Harbor were one at Strawberry Hill on 22 September 2009, followed by one on the hill on 10 October 2009 and two at the Sitka Spruce Children’s Park (near Strawberry Hill) on 11 October 2009.

A lone Bank Swallow flew by me on my walk back to the ship.

• 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.

Fox Sparrow Passerella illiaca unalaschensis, Strawberry Hill, Dutch Harbor, 16 August 2010.

My favorite thing to do in Dutch Harbor/Unalaska is to bird the planted sitka spruce trees around the town. The best group of trees is the robust stand that grows in a protected gulley on the top of Strawberry Hill. Many, many good birds have been found in this migrant trap over the years including a number of island firsts and a few firsts for the Aleutians! Nearly every trip through the stand has a surprise. This time it was a trio of adult Fox Sparrows–the first I’ve seen on the island. Although this race of Fox Sparrow (unalaschensis) was first collected at Unalaska Island, it is “extralimital at the type locality.” (Gibson and Kessel 1997). The western limits of its range are the alder thickets of Unimak Island, the first island in the Aleutians. Gibson and Byrd (2007) remark that the species is “casual or intermittant in spring and summer in eastern Aleutians beyond Unimak Pass” where it’s preferred habitat doesn’t exist.  Breeding east of Unimak was first suspected in 2003 when a “full-tailed juvenile” was found at Unalaska, but wasn’t confirmed until very recently by local birder Suzi Golodoff and visiting bird guru, Rich MacIntosh.

Pacific Wren Troglodytes pacificus kiskensis, Stawberry Hill, Dutch Harbor, 16 August 2010.

Also present on Strawberry Hill was a regular resident and breeder on the island–the Pacific Wren, or Winter Wren T. troglodytes as it’s now known by the American Ornitholgists’ Union. It was split from the Winter Wren (which occurs in eastern North America, on the basis of vocalizations and mitochondrial DNA differences. Click here for details of this and other revisions to the AOU Check-list.

Other birds of note yesterday were three Bank Swallows still flying over town. This is just a few days shy of the late date for the Aleutian Islands.

• 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.
• Gibson, D. D., and Kessel, B. 1997. Inventory of the species and subspecies of Alaska birds. Western Birds 28:45-95.

From May 13-20 I was on Adak Island in the central Aleutians leading a birding trip for Wilderness Birding Adventures. The Asian rarity highlights from the trip were a female Smew and a Hawfinch. Least Sandpiper and Northern Wheatear were very good finds from an island perspective. Rarities aside, Adak has an interesting list of subspecies endemic to the central Aleutians, a diversity of seabirds and the ever present feeling of anticipation that something truly rare might blow in.  Below are some photos from the trip.

Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe, Adak, 15 May 2010.

Casual in the spring in the central Aleutians, this male is only the third spring record for Adak Island.

Smew Mergellus albellus (foreground) with female Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula, Shotgun Lake, Adak, 16 May 2010.

Gray-crowned Rosy-finch Leucosticte tephrocotis griseonucha, Adak National Forest, 14 May 2010.

The Aleutian Gray-crowned Rosy-finch, griseonucha, is larger than littoralis, the breeding race from south coastal and southeast Alaska and approaches umbrina (from the Pribilofs) in size. It is slightly browner overall than umbrina. These three races of Gray-crowned Rosy-finch share the gray crown and completely gray cheek of coastal varieties of the species.

Turner’s Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus mutus atkhensis, Adak, 18 May 2010.

Turner’s Rock Ptarmigan is endemic to the islands of the Central Aleutians.

Pacific Golden-Plover Pluvialis fulva, Contractor’s Camp, Adak, 17 May 2010.

A flock of six at Contractor’s Camp were the only that we saw. The species is a regular migrant at Adak.

Wandering Tattler Tringa incana, Finger Cove, Adak, 17 May 2010.

Wandering Tattler is a regular migrant on Adak in small numbers. This individual is separated from the similar Gray-tailed Tattler by it’s darker gray upperparts, coarse barring on the lower belly, dark forehead, and nasal groove (not nostril) which extends for greater than half the length of the bill. The call is also diagnostic.

Hoary Redpoll Acanthis hornemanni, Adak National Forest, 16 May 2010.

A rare visitor to Adak, this species has nested in the central and western Aleutians. Up to four Common Redpolls were also present on Adak during our stay.

Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla, Sweeper Creek, Adak, 20 May 2010.

When Birds of the Aleutian Islands, by Gibson and Byrd was published in 2007 there were no records of this species from the central Aleutians. It has since been recorded at least 5 times at Adak.  We had a flyby at Clam Lagoon on 13 May and this bird at Sweeper Creek on 20 May. The overall dark plumage, compact build, all black lower mandible and white forehead separate it from the similar Long-toed Stint C. subminuta.
For photos of the elusive Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes, probably the “best bird” of our trip see Isaac Helmrick’s blog.

Back in the Bering Sea on the NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson.  We left Kodiak on April 23rd and we’ll finish this cruise in Dutch Harbor on May 3rd. The mission of the cruise is to service oceanographic moorings in the eastern Bering Sea.

Young Spotted Seal Phoca largha, Bering Sea, 28 April 2010.

Thayer’s Gull Larus thayeri and third-cycle Glaucous Gull L. hyperboreus, Bering Sea, 28 April 2010.

While watching seals on a small flow of brash ice about 60 miles north of Unimak Island today I noticed this adult Thayer’s Gull in a group of Glaucous and Glaucous-winged Gulls. Thayer’s Gulls are probably casual in the Bering Sea. This adult is separated from Herring, Vega, and Herring x Glaucous-winged Gull hybrids by outer primary pattern, its smallish bill and rounded head, and relatively long primary projection.

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.

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