Birding Alaska

Here are a few photos of interesting birds from our May 12-19  Wilderness Birding Adventures trip to Adak Island in the central Aleutians.

Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes, Adak “National Forest”, Adak Island, 13 May 2011.

The Hawg was the bird of the trip. This bird was found by Adak’s lone resident birder, Isaac Helmericks, and was on island for the entire week we were there.

Smew Mergellus albellus, Shotgun Lake, Adak Island, 12 May 2011.

Smew Mergellus albellus (right) and Bufflehead Bucephala albeola Shotgun Lake, Adak Island, 12 May 2011.

Smew regularly winter on Adak and this bird likely is left over from the winter season. While watching three Buffleheads on Shotgun Lake on our first evening birding on the island this Smew flew in and landed in front of us. Despite the efforts of all the birders on the island it was never seen again.

Green-winged Teal Anas crecca carolinensis (right) with Aleutian Green-winged Teal A. c. crecca, Clam Lagoon, 15 May 2011.

Green-winged Teal? Yes, on Adak a carolinensis Green-winged Teal is an interesting bird! The tables are turned…just a few weeks ago I was at home in Homer trying to pick out a lone crecca from the flocks of carolinensis.

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.