Birding Alaska

Many people bird Nome during spring migration and by late June few visiting birders make the pilgrimage.  Although migration is over and species diversity is lower, many of the regional specialties can be found throughout the breeding season.  I took these photos this week in the Nome area while leading a trip for Wilderness Birding Adventures.

Beautiful and ridiculous.  A young male Spectacled Eider Somateria fischeri, Safety Sound Bridge, Nome, 12 July 2009.

This one is high in the running for coolest revelation of the summer–Spectacled Eiders have blue eyes!  I’ve been very fortunate in the last eight years and have seen many Spectacled Eiders, but this is the first time that I’ve ever noticed their light blue eyes.

Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis, mouth of the Nome River, 12 July 2009.

Red-necked Stint is a rare breeder on the Seward Peninsula but it can be difficult to find, especially after spring migration.  This adult is still in relatively bright alternate plumage.

Female Bluethroat Luscinia svecica, Teller Road, near Nome, 14 July 2009.

We were fortunate to have several wonderful looks at Bluethroat, a breeding species that is present but difficult to see well in mid summer.  After the males stop displaying, usually by late June, this skulker can be very difficult to find.  The best strategy is to go where you know they were displaying in the spring, walk the area and listen.  This female was noticeably agitated and probably had chicks nearby.  She perched up calling for several minutes.  We got a brief look at a male and another female about 200 yards further down this same stretch of road, mile 52-53 Teller Road.

Arctic Loon Gavia arctica, Salmon Lake, Kougarok Road, Nome, 13 July 2009.

Salmon Lake is usually frozen solid in early June, but in July Arctic Loons are sometimes found on the lake, where they have nested in the past.  The white flank patch is obvious on this resting bird.  Also note the dark nape and bill that his held with the tip in the air.  Pacific Loons have a lighter, more silvery nape and usually hold their bill more parallel with the water.  We also saw Red-throated, Pacific, and a single Yellow-billed Loon on the trip.  Common Loon is usually the most difficult loon to get in Nome.

Red Fox Vulpes vulpes, Salmon Lake, Kougarok Road, Nome, 13 July 2009.

This fox made an early morning appearance on the shore of Salmon Lake.

Kamchatka Rhododendron Rhododendron camtschaticum, Kougarok Road, Nome, 13 July 2009.

A highlight of going to Nome in July is an impressive bloom of tundra wildflowers.  There are many special plants in the area, including this Kamchatka Rhododendron which is endemic to the Bering Sea region.

Bluethroat Luscinia svecica, Salmon Lake, Kougarok Road, near Nome, 7 June 2009.

The mockingbird of the tundra, it seems to be capable of perfectly mimicking any bird it choses.  This form L. s. svecica is one of the red-spotted varieties.  Note the red spot in the middle of the blue throat.

Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes, Wooley Lagoon Road (Mile 40.5 Teller Highway), near Nome, 4 June 2009.  Photo by Al Selin.

Found on a Wilderness Birding Adventures trip to Nome. Hawfinch is listed as Casual on the Alaska checklist, with most records coming from the Western and Central Aleutians, the Pribilof Islands and St. Lawrence Island. This is the first record for the Seward Peninsula and one of only three records from mainland Alaska. The other records from the mainland are one from the Noatak River, about 30 miles north of Kotzebue 15-20 June 1990 and a bird that came to a feeder in Dillingham 27 December 2003 to 23 January 2004 (Pranty et al. 2008).

Pranty, B., J.L. Dunn, S.C. Heinl, A.W. Kratter, P.E. Lehman, M.W. Lockwood, B. Mactavish, and K.J. Zimmer. 2008. ABA Checklist: Birds of the Continental United States and Canada, seventh edition. American Birding Association. Colorado Springs, CO.