Birding Alaska

Passerines are starting to flock up and move around in Homer. This afternoon a mixed flock of at least 75 birds moved through my backyard. The deck made a perfect canopy tower for photography as the birds foraged in a nearby elderberry. The flock contained six species of warblers–not too bad for an Alaskan mixed flock. Northern Waterthrush is the only warbler regular to the area that wasn’t in today’s flock. I thought I’d make a warbler post to practice typing the “new” scientific names of these species. Click here to get up to speed on the latest taxonomic changes to the AOU list.

Wilson’s Warblers Cardellina pusilla, Homer, 3 August 2011.

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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.

I was in Unalaska (the name of the island and the city where the port of Dutch Harbor is located) for a few days early this week and had some time to get out birding with local birder Suzie Golodoff for a few hours each day.  The birding is always good on the island, but this trip had a few very welcome surprises!

The first two Emperor Geese Chen canagica of the fall return to Unalaska on 21 September 2009.

Emperors winter in the Unalaska/Dutch Harbor waterfront by the hundreds.  We found these two birds on the Dutch Harbor spit; they are the first reported for the season.

Brambling Fringilla montifringilla in the spruce trees on Strawberry Hill, Unalaska, 21-22 September 2009.

Strawberry Hill was the hotspot this week.  This Brambling, one of a flock of six, was our first surprise find in the introduced stand of Sitka spruce on the hill.  These trees act as magnets for any lost forest loving passerines that find their way to the island and have hosted many past rarities.

Townsend’s Warbler Dendroica townsendi, on Strawberry Hill, Unalaska, 22 September 2009.

This Townsend’s Warbler was probably the best bird the trees had to offer.  It’s only the third report of the species from the Aleutians.  The first was an immature male on Shemya on 3 October 1977 (Gibson and Byrd 2007). The second was a find that Suzie made last year: 2 birds in Unalaska on 20 October 2008.

Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata, on Strawberry Hill, Unalaska, 22 September 2009.

Still reeling from the Townsend’s Warbler, we found this Yellow-rumped Warbler about 50 feet farther down the road in the same stand of trees only a few minutes later!   It is the first record of Yellow-rumped Warbler for Unalaska.

The one that got away: while we were trying to pin down the Townsend’s Warbler for photos after the brief initial look a Red-throated Pipit flew over the hill, giving it’s distinctive “speee” flight call.  Unfortunately we were unable to relocated the pipit, another first for Unalaska.

Merlin Falco columbarius, Strawberry Hill, Unalaska, 22 September 2009.

This Merlin was on the hill both days and on both days we saw it carrying prey.  I wonder what rare birds this Merlin has eaten lately.

Thanks Suzie for two great days of birding!

• 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.