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.

On February 24th and 25th I had the opportunity to bird Dutch Harbor, in the Eastern Aleutian Islands, with Robb Kaler.  It was my first trip to Dutch Harbor in the winter.

Emperor Geese Chen canagica, Harlequin Ducks Histrionicus histrionicus and a single female Steller’s Eider Polysticta stelleri (back left) 24 February 2009.

The wintering waterfowl were impressive and included about 500 Emperor Geese and 40+ Steller’s Eiders along the waterfront in Captain’s Bay and near the grocery store, airport and small boat harbor.

An Emperor Goose feeds on blue mussels Mytilus trossulus at low tide, 24 February 2009.

The Emperors here are easy to find and approach.  They spent a lot of time feeding on mussels and barnacles at low tide right along the road system.

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia sanaka, 24 February 2009.

Only a few passerines are hardy enough to be year-round residents in the Aleutians.  The sanaka race of Song Sparrow is resident from the central Aleutians to the Alaska Peninsula.  The two races of Song Sparrows from the Aleutians, maxima and sanaka, are large when compared to other races.  Sanaka is lighter colored than the very dark maxima (Gibson and Kessel 1997.) Note the long slender bill.

“Oregon” Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis oreganus, 24 February 2009.

A highlight of the day was a pair of “Oregon” Dark-eyed Juncos that we found in a brushy gully atop a hill behind Amelia’s Restaurant.  Gibson and Byrd (2007) write that “in Eastern Aleutians Dark-eyed Juncos were casual in winter.”  They note several records of both slate-colored and Oregon races from Unalaska/Dutch Harbor.  These two juncos pished in for a photo, but only reluctantly.  Perhaps because moments before finding them a Sharp-shinned Hawk cruised through the area!  We got good looks at the bird in flight which appeared to be a female based on size, but unfortunately the bird never perched and we were unable to get photos.  Sharp-shinned Hawk is only “accidental in the Eastern Aleutians” (Gibson and Byrd 2007).  They cite only 3 reports of Sharp-shinned Hawk from the region.

Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos, 24 February 2009.

While I failed to get a photo of the Sharp-shinned Hawk, another raptor caught our attention on the hill.  This Golden Eagle was soaring overhead with a few dozen Bald Eagles.  It is considered a rare resident and probable breeder in the area (Gibson and Byrd 2007).

Mixed waterfowl flock behind the Grand Aleutian Hotel, 24 February 2009.

Our last stop of the day was at the small lagoon behind the Grand Aleutian hotel.  Here the flock of 130 Greater Scaup held a few surprises!

Canvasback Aythya valisineria, Tufted Duck A. fuligula and Greater Scaup A. marila, 24 February 2009.

This photo provides what is possibly the first documented record of Canvasback for the Eastern Aleutians.  Gibson and Byrd (2007) remark that in the Eastern Aleutians there is only “anecdotal evidence of occurrence.”  The species, however, regularly winters in very small numbers in the Central Aleutians, especially at Adak.  In addition to the obvious tuft on the female Tufted Duck, note the bird’s small size (compared with Greater Scaup) and dark back.  A male Tufted Duck was also present in the flock.

Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis (lower right) with Greater Scaup, 24 February 2009.

This female Lesser Scaup was another interesting find in the flock.  It is separated from the similar Greater Scaup on the right by its smaller overall size, its angular–not rounded–head shape, and its smaller bill.  Side-by-side comparison makes for a straight forward ID, but lone birds can be more confusing.  Gibson and Byrd (2007) state that the Lesser Scaup is “casual or intermittent in winter” in the Eastern Aleutians.

Slaty-backed Gull Larus schistagus with Glaucous-winged Gulls L. glaucescens, Dutch Harbor 25 February 2009.

Our last find in Dutch was this adult Slaty-backed Gull in Captain’s Bay on February 25th.

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.